Family Matters
by GrumpyMagrat
Summary: This is a sequel to "Cause and Effect". As the title indicates, the Tracy family is in for big changes. How will they handle them?
1. An Ordinary Rescue

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note – This is a sequel to our story _Cause and Effect_ from a few years ago. If you haven't read that and would like to, we selfishly encourage you to do that. Unfortunately, it is a very long story, and that may be a turn off to some readers. We are understanding of that point. This story can be read without it if you wish, with one important explanation of the character Christina Lucille Tracy who will appear in future chapters.

So, without giving too much away about _Cause and Effect_, here it goes. Tin-Tin is her mother. Although by the end of _Cause and Effect_, Alan and Tin-Tin are married, he is NOT Christina's biological father. Due to an extreme, emotionally distressing time, Tin-Tin and Gordon interacted one time, and Christina was the result.

Our stories have been accused of being "emotional" and "soap-operas". This one will be no different. So be warned. If you don't like those kinds of stories, please move on. We really do want to be an enjoyment to our readers.

Just for information sake, this story will also be fairly long, not as long as _Cause and Effect_, but still long in its own right. It is completed, but still in the beta-ing stage. A big thank you to our wonderful beta, Lillehafrue. We will try to post a chapter a week. Hopefully, we can keep ahead of it.

Now that we've rambled long enough, on to the story.

Chapter 1: An Ordinary Rescue

Gordon sighed heavily. International Rescue had been working for over twenty hours at the scene of a mall collapse. He stretched his tired back muscles, grateful that they were almost done. They only had three more stores to go through, a shoe store, a vitamin shop, and a child's clothing store. The rescue would have taken a lot longer without their specialized equipment which in the long run saved lives, but that knowledge didn't soften the blow of the eleven bodies that they had removed already, including the two that Virgil and Alan were in the process of removing from the building. Shaking his head, Gordon forced himself back to work. His brothers would be expecting him to know what is on the other side of the section of the collapsed roof he was supposed to be scanning.

Gordon was setting up the cutting torch when his arrived. They looked as worn out as he felt. "How's it going out there?"

Virgil shook his head. "Scott got word that one of the injured died en route to the hospital."

Gordon ran a hand around the back of his neck, maneuvering his head around to work some of the kinks out. "So, that brings the death toll up to twelve."

"And seventy three injured," Alan added.

Virgil could sense that his brothers were getting discouraged. "Don't think on those. Think about the hundred and twenty seven that we rescued with just bumps and bruises or no injuries at all. Those are the ones we need to focus on. Come on, we still have a job to finish. What did you figure out, Gordon?"

There's another large opening behind this debris." Gordon pointed to some marks he made. "If we cut here, we should be able to break through without destabilizing anything."

"Did you pick up any life signs on the other side?" Virgil questioned.

"Three, but I didn't get any response when I tried to call through the debris. There's no telling why. Hopefully, it's just that the debris is too thick to hear through, not because…"

"Yeah, we understand," Virgil broke in. "Well, let's get to it. Alan, can you help him cut?"

Gordon was halfway through his first cut when Alan got his torch readied. Between the two of them, they made quick work of cutting a hole.

Virgil was the first to enter through the opening. "Hello? Anybody hear me?"

"Yes! Yes, over here," a voice called out.

Alan followed Virgil to the counter of the vitamin shop. "Are you okay? Is there anyone else in the shop?" Virgil asked the three women that were huddled together, leaning against the counter.

A young woman wearing an employee nametag reading "Allison" answered for the group. "It's just the three of us. My manager ran to the bank to straighten out some problem, and Mrs. Whitehall and her sister Mrs. Stevens were our only customers at the time."

"It's MS. Stevens if you don't mind," the younger of the other two women snidely interjected. "And why are you just standing there? My sister is hurt."

With the mention of an injury, Virgil moved closer to the group, "Alan, med kit." Turning towards the injured Mrs. Whitehall, he continued, "Where are you hurt?"

She shifted slightly. "It's my wrist. I think it may be broken. Something hit it when the ceiling started to fall."

"What the hell happened?" Ms. Stevens demanded.

Virgil pulled a splint from the med kit. "All I know is that the roof collapsed. I have no idea what the cause was."

Ms. Stevens rolled her eyes. "Real brilliant there, Sherlock. Like I couldn't figure out that the roof caved in."

"This actually is one of the least hit parts of the mall." Alan broke in. "It looks like just the drop ceiling and insulation in here. Other places of the mall have steel girders and roofing materials scattered about."

Ms. Stevens rapidly got to her feet and squared off against Alan. "Don't you take that tone with me, young man. I don't know who you think you are, but you're nobody special. I don't care what uniform you are wearing."

Mrs. Whitehall spoke up against her sister. "Oh, Abby, please stop. These men are just trying to do their jobs. There's no reason to attack them."

"When are you going to stop calling me by that ridiculous baby name? My _name_ is Abigail. How would you like it if I continued to call you Maddie instead of Madeline?"

Maddie gave Virgil a wink. "Actually, I would prefer that. I never was really fond of Madeline."

Abigail stuck her nose in the air. "You never have had any sense of decorum."

"And you have always…" Maddie began only to be interrupted by Virgil.

"Ladies, please, we really need to get you out of here. I'm done with the splint. Can you all walk? Are there any other issues?"

The women shook their heads. Allyson helped Virgil get Maddie to her feet while Gordon scanned the next store. "I'm not picking up any life signs in the shoe store."

"That's because they closed down last week." Allyson offered.

This time it was Alan's turn to roll his eyes. "It would've been nice for someone to tell us that."

"Maybe you should've asked," Abigail sneered. "That's what I would've done."

"You always claim that you would do things perfectly, but I rarely see you do them." Maddie's irritation was finally getting the better of her.

"Of all the nerve! You just…"

"Ladies, please," Virgil broke in again. "This isn't helping. Let's just concentrate on getting you out of here. Allyson, how about Kidz Kloze? Were they open today?"

Allyson nodded as her eyes filled with tears. "Yeah, they were. My sister, Andi, was working today. We were supposed to meet up for lunch, but obviously that didn't happen. I just hope she's okay."

"You're okay, so there's every reason to believe that she is too."

Virgil and Alan helped the three women through the maze of the damaged building while Gordon stayed to work a way to the last store. By the time they returned, Gordon had cut an opening into the shoe store and was now working on getting into the clothing store. He smirked at Virgil. "So, how's Abby?"

Virgil shook his head. "Man, she was a piece of work, complained the whole way out. First, it was 'don't touch me, I can do it myself'. Then, it's 'help me through this mess'. There was no way to make her happy."

"Yeah," Alan interjected. "She was threatening to sue the mall owner, the store keepers, even us. Anybody she feels is responsible for the damage to her 'delicate nerves' as she put it."

Gordon snorted in disgust. "If that woman has delicate nerves, I'll eat my hat."

"Me too," Virgil conceded. "I feel sorry for the paramedics we left her with." Glancing at the wall, he asked. "How are we doing here?"

"This is a bad one. I'm scanning a lot of debris." Pointing at the screen image, he explained. "We can only cut a small hole here. Then we'll have to squeeze through and stabilize the debris from the other side in order to widen the hole."

"Any life signs?"

Gordon gave his brother an incredulous look. "Do you really think I'd be doing all this if there's no one to save?"

Virgil shrugged. "Okay, stupid question. How many?"

"At least three, maybe four. I was getting really low readings. I'm hoping that it's just interference."

"Let's get at it." The three brothers worked together to get through the wall. Once that was done, Alan and Gordon shored up the opening while Virgil went in search of the victims. He found two women behind the counter. One sat with her knees pulled up to her chest rocking slightly, and the other one lay on her back with a light ballast across her upper legs. The broken fluorescent light left numerous cuts around the area. "We're from International Rescue. We're here to help."

"Finally, thank God," the woman under the light replied.

"Are you hurt anywhere besides your legs? Your head? Your back?"

"I don't think so, but I haven't moved that much. The broken glass grinds into my legs when I try."

"Okay, we'll be getting you outta here soon." Turning to the other woman, he asked. "How about you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

The other woman ignored Virgil completely and continued her rocking. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the first woman. "How long has she been like this? Do you know if she was injured in anyway? Specifically a head injury?"

"I don't think so. I think it's shock or fear. She's been that way pretty much since the roof collapsed, but you need to know that there is also a mother and her son in the store. They were in a changing room when this happened. I've tried calling to them, but I haven't heard anything back from them."

"Nothing at all?"

"A couple of times, I thought I heard faint crying, but I don't know if it was real or just wishful thinking."

About this time, the two youngest Tracys joined Virgil.

"What have we got?" Alan asked.

"We have…uhm…I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"It's Andi, and that's Melissa."

"So, you're Allyson's sister," Alan stated.

"Allyson? She's okay?"

Virgil smiled and nodded. "Yeah, only worried about you is all. Okay, Andi here has leg injuries from the light falling on her. I'll need help lifting it straight up to minimize any further damage. Melissa, there, seems to be in a state of shock. There is also a mother and child trapped over in the changing room area, whose condition is unknown."

Gordon nodded. "Okay, I'll go check on them, and Alan can stay and help you."

"Give a shout out once you know something."

"You'll be the first to know." Gordon turned away from the group and using the scanner, carefully made his way through the debris. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?" He didn't hear an immediate response so he kept moving and calling out. Finally, to Gordon's relief, he heard a reply.

"Help, we're here. Please, help us."

He also felt a sense of dread as he realized how soft and weak it sounded. "I hear you. I'm coming to help, just hang on."

"Please, hurry, my son…please."

Gordon redoubled his efforts to get to the woman. He forced his way through the broken door to the changing room. One look at the scene told him it wasn't good. The woman laid, eyes closed, on the floor with a piece of torn and twisted steel that had once been part of the roof support lying across her lower chest and abdomen. He could tell that she was having difficulty breathing. Her legs were covered with debris. He brushed some off and checked for a tibial pulse. He didn't find one. The dull gray skin color and coldness to the touch only confirmed serious circulatory problems. He also knew that time was critical.

Gordon knelt next to her. "Ma'am, can you hear me? Can you tell me your name?" He placed a mask over her nose and mouth. Once again, he found himself silently thanking Brains for this particular invention, an easily portable mask that pulled and compressed the oxygen from normal air. "Just try to breathe normally. I'm here to help you."

She opened her eyes and looked at him. She weakly reached out a hand to him. "Thank God, I'm Kat. My son, you have to help him." Her speech was soft and staggered by her shallow breathing.

Gordon quickly glanced around but didn't see him. "Do you know where he is?"

"I tried to protect him by putting him under the seat."

Gordon looked towards the small bench that had been built into the wall. His heart sank to see that it had partially collapsed. "What is your son's name?"

"Neil"

Gordon laid flat on his stomach to look through some of the openings created by the broken pieces. "Neil, can you hear me?"

There was no response, but he could hear shuffling like Neil was moving around. "Neil? I know you're scared, but I really need you to talk to me. I need to know if you're hurt."

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

Gordon smiled in relief. "That's a good rule, but sometimes you have to. Think of me like a fireman. I'm here to help get you out of here."

"It's okay, honey," Kat called out to him, coughing as she tried to speak. "You can talk to him. He's a good guy."

"There, Neil, did you hear your mom? She said it was okay. Can you tell me if you're hurt at all, or stuck on anything?"

"I don't hurt, but it's dark. I don't like it. Can you get me out of here? I want out."

"Soon, buddy, I'm gonna get you out of there as soon as I can." Gordon keyed his watch. "Hey, Virg, I found the last two victims, but I'm going to need help."

"Okay, we have these two victims ready to go out on stretchers. We'll get to you as soon as we are done."

Gordon lowered his voice and turned away from the victim. "I think they should wait. I think this woman is critical. She seems to be having a lot of trouble breathing."

"Don't you have an 'oxygen concentrator' with you?"

"I've already put it on her, but it doesn't seem to be helping. She has a beam across her chest. I think it's compressing her lung functions as well as her lower circulation. I need help to move it."

Virgil sighed. "Okay, I'll get a hold of Scott and inform him of the situation and get his input."

Gordon felt his own sense of frustration grow. "Fine," he snapped. "Just remember that every minute you waste is one minute less we have to rescue this woman." He abruptly cut the communication and muttered under his breath. "God damn it…treat me like a little kid…I know my job."

"It's bad, isn't it?"

Gordon turned his attention back to Kat and knelt back down. "I'm not going to lie to you. It is bad, but I've called for help, and we'll be getting you out of here soon."

"My son, can you get him out?"

"I think so. I'm going to try it right now." He looked over the mess that created Neil's prison and devised a plan. "Okay, Neil, I'm going to pull on this wood above your head. It's going to be loud and some pieces may fall, but it's not going to hurt you. It's going to be the way out. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I think."

Gordon braced his legs to get the most leverage. Then he gripped the broken end of the board and pulled. With a couple of loud creaks and then a snap, the board broke away from the wall. Reaching a hand into the opening, he called. "Climb on out of there, Neil." He smiled as a little boy with wavy blond hair and blue eyes and a dirt smudged face emerged from the opening. He did a visual check and even patted down the little boy's arms. "Still okay? Does anything hurt now that you can move?"

Neil shook his head. "I'm okay." He then caught sight of his mother and scrambled to her side. "Mommy, mommy, are you okay?"

She gave him a weak smile. "I'm all right, just stuck, but they'll get me out soon."

As if prophetic, Virgil appeared through the door. He carried with him a med kit. All right, I'm here. Alan stayed with the other two victims while I came to help you. Let's see what we need to do to get these guys out of here."

"Sounds good. Our lady friend here is Kat, and this brave little boy is her son, Neil."

Virgil pulled out a medical scanner and began to take scans of Kat. "Let's just take a quick look here, and then we'll get you outta here. How's that sound, little man? You ready to go home?"

Neil gave him a wary look but nodded. "Is my mom gonna be okay?"

"Of course she…" Gordon began, but Virgil cut him off.

"We can't promise that. We can only promise to do our best."

Gordon gave his brother a questioning look. "What's up?"

Virgil motioned for Gordon to move away slightly. "We have a problem," he said quietly showing Gordon the scanner.

"Aw, damn, are you sure this is right?"

"You know as well as I the quality of this equipment."

"Yeah, but you…"

"I know, that's why I ran it a second time. Same results."

"There's got to be something we can do."

"I'm going to call Brains to double check, but it doesn't look good. So, don't be giving them false hope."

Gordon nodded and moved back to Kat and Neil. "So, Neil, how old are you?"

"Five." Neil held up one hand with his fingers spread to illustrate.

"You're going to be starting school this fall. Are you excited?"

"I'm going to kin'garten. So's my friend Billy. We are best pals. He lives down the street. He gave me a Spiderman for my birthday. He likes to…"

"It's worse than you expected, isn't it?" Kat broke in.

"What?" Gordon asked.

"My situation, you're having whispered conversations with your buddy, and since you haven't gotten this thing off me, I can only guess it's really bad and you don't want to tell me."

"Let's just say we've run into a complication that we have to figure out how to handle."

"You're a lousy liar."

Gordon smiled slightly. "You're wrong. I can be a pretty convincing liar when I want to be, just ask my brothers and coworkers. You'd be amazed at some of the things I've pulled over on them."

Kat returned a weak smile. "There's always one in every group."

Gordon sighed and ducked his head. "But you're also right. The situation is bad, real bad. I don't want to go into the 'what ifs' until I have something concrete. I don't want you to give up though. We haven't."

Virgil motioned for Gordon to his side. "Brains agreed. The lungs have been punctured and a hemothorax has been slowly forming. That's why she's having trouble breathing. We need to get her out quickly to stop that area of bleeding, but the beam across her abdomen is acting as a tourniquet for the torn spleen and liver…"

"Which if we remove it too quickly will cause her to bleed to death," Gordon finished for him.

Virgil nodded. "And then there are the reperfusion issues to contend with. They could also kill her."

"Damned if we do, damned if we don't."

"Well, the only choice we have is to slowly remove the beam and use tourniquets of our own and hope that we can get her to the hospital in time."

"Did Brains say what the chances for survival are?"

In a tired and defeated voice, Virgil replied. "Less than ten percent."

"Damn, DAMN, _DAMN_" Gordon picked up a chunk of drywall and threw it against another pile of rubble.

Virgil grabbed his brother by the arm. "Pull it together. We aren't giving up. A chance is still a chance, no matter how small. We've seen that proven time and again in this job."

Gordon took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. "You're right. I'm sorry. I guess I'm overly tired. Either that, or I'm not used to having the opportunity to get to know the victim like we have here. So what's the plan?"

"You're going to take Neil and meet up with Alan and his victims and get them all out of here. Then you two along with Scott will come back with the equipment he's getting together. I'll stay here and explain to Kat what is going on."

The two brothers moved back to Kat and Neil. Gordon patted Neil on the shoulder. "Okay, I'm going to go get some more equipment, and I'm going to take Neil with me."

Neil stuck his bottom lip out. "I don't want to go. I want to stay with my mom."

"I know you do, buddy, but it's safer for you to wait outside."

Kat reached a shaky hand out to him. "Please, honey, I want you to go outside."

"But I'm scared. What if you die?"

Kat caught the look exchanged by the two IR agents and knew that it was a real possibility. "Then I'll die loving you with all my heart. You know that right? I love you sooo much. Nothing is more important to me than you. That's why you have to leave. I need to know that you're safe."

Neil reached over and tried to hug his mom as best he could and began crying. "I want to stay. I love you, Mommy. Please, I don't want to go."

Kat's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Baby, but you have to go. Remember, I'll love you forever." Turning to Gordon, she said, "Just take him."

Gordon nodded and picked Neil up. He immediately began fighting and screaming. "No! No! Mommy! I want my mommy!"

"I love you, Neil. I'm sorry, so sorry."

Virgil tried to comfort Kat. "Please, try to calm down. You need to save your strength."

"Why? You don't think you can save me. It's written all over your face."

"We need to talk about that. The odds are not in your favor, but by no means is it an automatic death sentence." Virgil went on to explain her injuries and how they hoped to save her life. Once he was finished with his explanation, he asked, "Do you have any questions?"

"Not a question exactly. I need to make arrangements for my son, just in case. He needs to be with his father."

"That's normal procedure with child services."

"He doesn't know."

"Excuse me?"

"The father, he doesn't know about Neil."

"You mean, you never told him that he has a child?"

"It's a complicated situation, even more than I had imagined. I was afraid. I wish I could explain it to him. I should've done it before, but now it's too late."

"Don't think like that. You have to remain positive. You'll have a chance to make this right."

"Right…" Kat stated sarcastically, albeit weakly. "You don't think I can tell what is going on with my own body, the shortness of breath, the pain in my chest, the fact that I can't feel anything from the chest down. I know that it will take a miracle to survive this."

Virgil sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to pretend it's going to be easy, but I've seen how important a positive attitude can be. So, don't give up on me."

"Okay, but just in case, you need to tell the local authorities that there's a lockbox in my apartment. It has my will in it, along with Neil's birth certificate, social security card, and his medical records. There's also an envelope marked J.T. It has the information on Neil's father, his name and last contact number I had, some pictures of us, and a small synopsis of our year together."

"I'm sure that all of that will be helpful _IF_ it comes to that."

"The contact number is old, from when we broke up six years ago. They may have to track him down."

"What you have is a good start, but since it won't come to that, you don't have to worry."

"Always the optimist, are you?"

"Like I said before, the power of positive thinking, but if you really want to send a personal message to him, I have an mp3 recorder that you can use. I can give the recording to child services if need be."

"That sounds like the best idea given the circumstances."

Virgil removed his watch and set up the mp3 feature and handed it to Kat. "You press here to start the recording and press it again to stop it. I'll be over there to give you some privacy."

"Thank you."

Virgil moved away, but he still heard her as she began her recording. "Hi, it's me. I know that this is a big surprise to you…" He pushed her voice into the background as he concentrated on making a plan for removing the girder.

Gordon reappeared through the opening. "Hey, Virg, any change?"

Virgil shook his head. "She's making a recording for Neil's father. Apparently, she never told him about Neil."

"That's a shame. Was there a reason? An alcoholic or abuser?"

"I don't think so. She said she wants Neil to go to him if she doesn't make it. Where's the equipment?"

"Scott and Alan are bringing it. Scott sent me ahead to check on the situation. They should be here in a few minutes."

"I've been thinking about how to handle this. I think we should start…"

At that moment, Kat called to him. "Virgil, I'm finished."

The two brothers moved back to her. Virgil put his watch back on his wrist. "I'll keep this safe until when or if you need it."

Kat looked at Gordon. "How's Neil?"

"He's okay. He calmed down when a fireman offered to show him the fire truck."

"Can I ask you one more favor?"

"Sure, whatever we can do to help."

"Keep on child services; make sure they get Neil to his father. I don't want to risk him being that rare case that fell through the cracks."

Virgil shook his head. "Oh, I don't know. They may consider it interference on our part, and it's not IR policy to interfere with local authorities without them asking for help."

"But _I'm_ asking for your help."

"It's just that…" Virgil began but was interrupted by Gordon.

"Don't worry about it. We'll make a few calls if necessary."

"Gordon," Virgil hissed. "We can't make promises…"

"Just a couple of phone calls. If done right, it shouldn't ruffle too many feathers. Besides, we may not have to follow through with it."

The two approaching Tracys could be heard. "I'm going to go help them." Virgil announced.

"He's not real happy with you." Kat observed.

Gordon waved the comment off. "It's no big deal. He's more of a stickler for rules than I am, but I'll take care of it."

"Thank you. No matter what happens, I really appreciate everything you and your partner have done."

The Tracys gathered around Kat, and Virgil explained his plan for removing the girder. They went about setting up their equipment. Once they were set, Virgil knelt next to her and set up two IVs. He only set the flow on one, and kept the other closed. "Are you set?"

"I'm a bit scared. This is it, one way or the other."

"I have the medical scanner, but I still need you to tell me how you're feeling, and remember, positive thinking."

Kat nodded. "Right…positive thinking. Okay, let's do it."

Virgil motioned to his brothers. They began cutting away small sections off the ends of the girder until all that remained was the section across Kat's body.

"Okay, this is where it gets tricky," Virgil said. "Scott, Alan be ready to lift. Gordon, be ready to help me. On three, one, two, lift."

Kat let out a cry of pain when the girder was lifted. Her eyes rolled back and slid closed.

"Bp's dropping," Virgil barked. "Gordon, get that other IV open. She needs volume. Scott, we need to get the pressure wrap around her…"

"Virg…she stopped breathing," Gordon interrupted.

"Damn, I lost the pulse. Start CPR. Alan, grab me the defibrillator." Scott jumped on the order and began to pump her chest.

Alan handed Virgil the portable defibrillator, and he worked around Gordon, placing the pads on Kat's chest. "Hold compressions." He pressed the button on the machine to begin its cycle.

The mechanical voice called out. "Accessing patient…defibrillation approved…please stand back…shocking…" The body arced as the electricity coursed through it.

Virgil checked for a pulse. "Damn, nothing, let's do it again." He sent the machine through its cycle again. "Still nothing, continue CPR. Scott, grab me a syringe of adrenaline." Gordon took over the CPR while Scott handed Virgil the preloaded syringe. He injected the drug and waited a minute for the CPR to circulate it as best it could. "Hold again." The defibrillator cycled a third time. For a third time the body was shocked, and for the third time there was no response. Virgil did another medical scan. He sighed heavily. "No cardiac activity, no pulmonary function, and no active brain waves. There's nothing more we can do. She's gone."

"Damn," Gordon exclaimed.

"We all knew that the odds were against us," Virgil replied.

Gordon looked like he was about to cry. "It's just not _right_. A boy shouldn't have to grow up without a mother."

The brothers exchanged looks, they understood Gordon's frustration, but unfortunately, they couldn't save every mother, wife or sister. It was just a fact of life.

Scott spoke quietly to Virgil. "You two have borne the brunt of this rescue. Why don't you head out of here? Give yourself some down time. Alan and I will take care of this."

"What about the boy?"

"I'll make the arrangements with the police when I get out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I can tell how emotionally draining this has been. Take some time to process it."

Virgil nodded and headed to Gordon's side. He placed an arm around his shoulders and gave it a slight squeeze. "Let's get out of here."

Gordon looked back at Kat's body. "What about…"

"It's being handled. It's time for us to take a break."

Gordon paused for a second, his gaze still on the body. "Number thirteen…unlucky thirteen." He then let his brother lead him out of the destroyed building.

TBC

Author's Note #2 – Well, here we are back. It's been a while since we posted in the Thunderbird fandom, and even then it was just short stuff. We don't know how many of our previous readers are still around. Old or new, we hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Drop us a review if you want. Hopefully, you'll come back for more next week.


	2. Family

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 2 – Family

Jeff sat at his desk. He was finishing up the last bit of work for the day. He had gotten an early start on it because today was Christina's second birthday, and they had planned a party of coincide with lunch. He could only hope that International Rescue would not be needed during that time. He sat back in his chair and thought about the past two years. Things had been going fairly well. Gordon and Alan had only butted heads a handful of times over their daughter, but Jeff knew that would change, especially when Christina got old enough to play them off each other. He also knew that Alan was plagued by bouts of jealousy. It was usually pretty evident when he would return from his monthly rotation up on Five. Alan quietly resented the time lost with her while Gordon enjoyed that time uninterrupted. Jeff had been toying with the idea of training his other three sons to take a rotation up there. He was just waiting for the right time to approach his sons with the idea. He figured that he'd better do it soon. With Christina getting older, he figured that it wouldn't be much longer before another Tracy grandchild would join the fray.

Jeff's musings were interrupted by the phone ringing. The ID indicated it was his personal assistant, Marilyn. He answered it. "Hello, Marilyn, closing up for the day?"

"I'll be leaving shortly. I'm really sorry to bother you, Jeff, especially today. I wasn't sure if this could wait until tomorrow, but that attorney, Mr. Walton, just called again. He said that it was extremely important that he speak to you."

"Did he say what it was about?"

"No, sir, the only information that he would give me is that he represents the city of Beaumont, TX and that it's personal."

"Yeah, I bet it's personal. He's probably the head of some fund raising committee looking for a donation."

"Well, you are known as a philanthropist."

"And I have a carefully designed system to submit requests. They aren't supposed to contact me direct."

"That may be, but I think this guy is going to keep calling until he speaks to you. This is the third call from him already."

Jeff glanced at his watch. "I have a few extra minutes. Let's see, it should be around two in Texas. Maybe I can catch him now."

"Go easy on him. This may not have anything to do with a contribution."

"Yes, Marilyn, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Have a good evening."

"Thanks, Jeff, and you have a good time with Christina on her special day. Boy, two years old, they do grow up fast."

"You're telling me. It's hard to believe that it's been two years since all that drama preceding her birth. Take it easy, bye, Marilyn."

"Goodbye, Jeff."

Jeff disconnected that call and opened the email that contained Mr. Walton's phone number. Sighing, he dialed it. The phone rang three times before a male voice answered "Mike Walton."

"Mr. Walton, this is Jeff Tracy. I understand that you have been trying to reach me."

"Yes, Mr. Tracy, thank you for getting back with me."

"Well, you have been making a pest of yourself with my assistant. I'm not very appreciative of that. If you have a donation request, there are proper channels set up for that."

"Oh no, Mr. Tracy, it's nothing like that. I assure you I'm not interested in your money."

"Mr. Walton, I'm a very busy man. So, if you're not interested in a donation, perhaps you could tell me what this, how did you describe it to my assistant, 'extremely important, personal' business is."

Mr. Walton stammered nervously. "Yes, sir, I completely understand, and I really won't keep you long. I am actually trying to reach your son, John Glenn Tracy."

"John? What do you want with him?"

"I'm sorry sir, but it is a personal matter."

"Let me assure you, Mr. Walton. Any business you have with my son is personal to me."

"I can appreciate that, Mr. Tracy, but ethically, and as a lawyer for the city of Beaumont, TX, I cannot speak to you until I have your son's permission to reveal the particulars of this case."

"Has someone accused my son of something? If so, I can assure you that he hasn't even been to the mainland in a couple of months, let alone Texas."

"I can assure you that it's nothing like that. It's just very important that I reach him. I can't stress that fact enough. Please, Mr. Tracy, I need your help."

Jeff massaged his forehead with one hand. "Look, to be totally honest, Mr. Walton, I don't feel comfortable in giving out his private number, especially not knowing what this is all about, but I will give him your number and tell him that you are insisting that it is very important."

"I really wish you would reconsider. I need…"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Walton," Jeff interrupted. "That is my final decision."

Jeff heard him sigh. "I guess that is the best we can do at this point. I hope to hear from your son soon."

"I'll see what I can do. Goodbye, Mr. Walton."

"Thank you, Mr. Tracy, goodbye."

Jeff shook his head. He wasn't sure how to talk to John about this. He really didn't have much information. Hell, he didn't have any definite proof that this guy was even a real lawyer. An idea popped into his head. "That's it," he muttered as he did an internet search for Michael Walton. He was able to find the website for his personal law practice. It gave a complete biography for him; including his educational background and that he had been practicing law in Beaumont for eight years. The only thing that confused Jeff was the only affiliation to the city he could find was some pro bono work for the child services department. "Child services? Why would they need to contact John?" He thought. "Maybe some woman is trying to get money by claiming he's the father. I certainly hope not, talk about tabloid fodder."

About that time, Virgil stuck his head in the door. "Hey there's a little girl out here who's anxious to get her party going."

Jeff smiled wryly. "They couldn't keep her occupied with her favorite cartoons?"

"Are you kidding? She's so excited, they'll be lucky to get her down for her nap this afternoon."

"Been there, done that. I'll be out in a couple of minutes. I have one more call to make."

"Okay, meet you poolside."

Virgil ducked back out the door, and Jeff waited a few seconds before he opened the link to Thunderbird 5. "Base to Thunderbird 5, come in please."

John's portrait flipped to the live feed. "Hey, Dad, everything set for the party?"

"As far as I know, I've been working in my office."

"Ah, staying out of the way."

Jeff laughed. "As much as possible."

"I wish I could be down there with you."

"I know you do, and I'm working on a couple ideas so that you can spend more time planet-side, but that's not why I called."

"Okay, what's up?"

"A lawyer from Beaumont, TX has contacted me. He says that it's very important that he speaks to you."

"Did he say what about?"

"No, he said it was personal."

"Personal, huh? I don't know how it can be? I don't think I know anyone in Beaumont. I'm trying to think if I've ever been to Beaumont, even when I lived in Houston."

"We had that rescue a little over a week ago at that mall just outside of Beaumont."

John shook his head. "I wasn't on scene. How would anyone know that I was even involved?"

"Unless we have a breach of security."

"If that happened, don't you think they would've gone to the press instead of coming to me? Unless they don't realize the scope of the issue and figure that I'm the only Tracy involved in IR. Maybe it's for blackmail."

Well, I guess the only way to find out anything is to call him back. But if it is blackmail, impress upon Mr. Walton that we don't take kindly to this invasion of privacy and that we won't stand for. Let me know either way what it's about."

"You got it."

Jeff gave his son the phone number, disconnected the call, and headed to the party.

TB TB TB

On his way out to the pool, Virgil ran into Gordon. "Hey, Gordon, you look a little down. You should be happy. It's your daughter's second birthday."

"Oh, I am happy. All though, talk about hyper…"

"Gordo, I know you better than this. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just called to check up on Neil."

"And they haven't located his father yet."

"Nope, apparently, they have located another family member that they were hoping to get information from, but he hasn't returned any of the calls yet. Who knows, maybe they did know about Neil, and now just want to avoid him."

"You really need to let this go. It really isn't your concern."

"I know, but…"

"You made a promise," Virgil finished for him while shaking his head. "I tried to warn you. We've rescued kids before and turned them over to the local authorities. We've never checked up on them."

"But this case is different."

"Why? Because she asked you to?"

"Yes! Or maybe because I'm now a father, or because the father supposedly doesn't even know that he is one. Or maybe it's something as stupid as that Neil's blond hair and blue eyes reminded me of Alan at that age. I really don't know why I feel this way. I just do."

Virgil placed a hand on Gordon's shoulder. "Well, let's quit worrying about Neil and worry about the precocious red-head that can't wait to celebrate her birthday. What did you get her anyway?"

"Oh, you know, what every two year old wants, some clothes, some toys, a chemistry set."

Virgil's eyes widened. "You didn't."

"Nah," Gordon laughed. "I'm saving that for Christmas."

"You are incorrigible."

"I know."

The two brothers stepped out into the bright sunshine, and Christina spotted them almost immediately. "Poppy, Poppy," she yelled as she ran and threw herself into Gordon's open arms.

"There's my big girl." Gordon picked her up and spun her around.

"Me birf'ay" she proudly declared.

"Yes, I know it's your birthday. You are two years old. Can you show me two?"

Christina held up two fingers. "Two."

"You're also my smart girl."

She grinned, wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss.

"How about me?" Virgil asked. "Do I get a hug and kiss too?"

She leaned over and Virgil gave her a hug and kiss without her leaving her father's arms. Gordon carried her towards the tables covered with gaily colored tablecloths, balloons, and streamers. One table was partially covered with food and a second one had brightly wrapped gifts on it. Three more tables were set for the eleven people attending the party. Tin-Tin was next to one of the tables, rearranging the flowers in the vase.

"Are you sure there isn't something I should be doing?" Gordon asked. "I feel like I've left this all on your shoulders."

"Don't, my father took care of the meal, and Mr. Parker helped me earlier with the decorations."

Alan came out of the house and immediately went to his wife's side. "Your father is loading up the last of the food now. He'll be out in a few minutes."

"Maybe I should go help him," Gordon remarked.

Alan shook his head. "I tried, but he shooed me out of the kitchen…with a broom."

"He is very territorial," Virgil laughed. "Do you remember the first time Parker tried to make tea in the kitchen?"

The four adults laughed at the memory. Christina wiggled out of Gordon's arms. She wandered over to the table with the gifts on it and tried to pull one off. Alan scooped her up in his arms. "Oh no you don't, little one."

She pointed at the table. "Pe'zan, Daddy."

"Yes, there are lots of presents for you, but you have to wait until after lunch to get them," Alan told her.

"Lunch? Did I hear someone mention lunch?" Jeff said as he joined the group. "I hope little girl is on the menu. They taste so good. Num…num…num." He pretended to chew on her arm.

Christina giggled as she pulled her arm away from Jeff. "No, 'ampa."

"Aw, but you're so sweet."

Kyrano brought out a trolley loaded with food. Lady Penelope and Parker also came out behind him.

"'ere, Mr. Kyrano, h'allow me to 'elp you," Parker offered.

"I am grateful for the offer, but it is not necessary."

"H'I really must h'insist."

"I cannot allow that, Mr. Parker. You are a guest."

"H'I ain't no guest, H'I work too."

"I beg to differ with you, sir."

Tin-Tin broke in before the argument could escalate any further. "Parker, how about you get Lady Penelope a cup of tea, and I will help my father arrange the food."

"H'A splendid h'idea. H'I think h'Ill do just that." Parker headed to the small table that held the drinks and began to prepare a cup of tea.

"Thank you, my daughter, but you do not need to help me."

"After you spent all this time cooking for the party, it's the least that I can do."

"It was my pleasure. Go spend this time with your daughter."

"My daughter has her fathers, uncles and a grandfather spoiling her which is what you should be doing. I can finish this."

Kyrano sighed. "We shall both finish and then enjoy our time with your daughter."

Tin-Tin smiled. It was rare that anyone won an argument with her father. The two quickly finished with the table. She made a plate for herself and for Christina. Then she instructed the rest of the family to help themselves. Lunch was a loud, friendly affair. They laughed around the tables as they told jokes and recalling memories. Christina reveled in the attention she was receiving. Once the meal was over, the family sang Happy Birthday to her. The family cheered as she blew out the two candles on her cake. Kyrano dished up the cake and ice cream and set the first serving in front of his granddaughter who dug into it with gusto. By the time she was finished, she had cake crumbs and melted ice cream all over her face and even in her hair. Tin-Tin took her into the villa to clean her up before opening her presents.

While they were waiting for them to return, Alan's watch went off. He knew that it could only be John calling. Assuming he was calling to wish Christina a happy birthday, he cheerfully answered. "Hey there, Johnny-boy, how's it going up there?"

"Alan, I need you to get up here."

"Ha ha, funny joke, did you want to talk to Christina?"

"No, I'm serious, something's come up, and I need you to relieve me."

"Come on, John, we had this arranged. I'm taking my family on vacation tomorrow. I'll relieve you when I get back."

"That will have to wait. This is important."

"My family is important. We're sticking to the schedule. I'll relieve you when we get back." Alan disconnected the comm in a huff.

"Is there a problem?" Virgil asked.

"No, John just wanted to change up the schedule, but with our vacation starting tomorrow, I couldn't."

"I'm sure he understands."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Alan muttered, but he knew full well that John was not in an understanding mood.

Tin-Tin brought Christina back out to the patio and sat her next to the table with the presents. She had gotten two open before Jeff's watch went off. "Yes, John, is there a call?"

"No sir, but I need to speak with you in private."

"Can it wait? Christina is opening her presents."

"No, it can't wait. It's very important."

"Okay, let me go to my office, and we can talk by the live feed."

"Okay," John nodded and disconnected the call.

On his way into the villa, he stopped and talked to Tin-Tin and Alan. "I need to take a call from John. Don't let her open my gifts until I get back."

"Sure," Tin-Tin replied, but she caught the scowl that Alan was trying to hide from his father. "Okay, what's wrong?" She asked when Jeff was out of earshot.

"Oh, it's John. He wanted me to cancel our vacation and go up and relieve him. Now, that I refused he's crying to dad."

"That doesn't sound like John. Did he say why he needed you to relieve him?"

"No, he didn't" Alan didn't want to admit that he didn't give John much of a chance to explain, and his wife didn't push the issue.

Tin-Tin just handed another gift to Christina to unwrap. "Well, I wouldn't worry. Your dad will sort this all out."

TB TB TB

Jeff sat down at his desk and keyed the comm. John's portrait changed to the live feed. "All right, John, what do you need?"

"I need to be relieved immediately."

Jeff was taken aback by his son's bluntness. "Do you mind telling me why? Are you ill?"

John shook his head. "No, I'm not sick, but I still need to be relieved. It's kind of personal, but I need to be in Beaumont first thing in the morning."

"I take it this has something to do with that attorney?"

"I'd rather not get into the specifics until I can talk to this guy face to face. You just have to trust me."

"Are you in some kind of trouble? Should I be sending our lawyer with you?"

"I'm not in any trouble, but it probably wouldn't hurt to have a lawyer with me. The meeting is set for 9 am at Mr. Walton's office in Beaumont. Can you get someone there by then?"

"Of course I can, even if I have to charter a plane."

"I'll also need Virgil to fly me over to Texas."

"In Two?"

John rolled his eyes. "Of course, in Two, by the time I get back to Tracy Island, the birds will be the only vehicles fast enough to get me to Texas in time. Now, I suppose Scott could take me in One, but I can take a car in Two."

"Are you absolutely sure that this can't wait until Alan gets back? He's only going to be gone four days."

"No, it can't wait," John's voice held the icy edge of anger. "There have been plenty of times that I've changed plans to pull an extra shift when something came up for him. It's payback time. I need to be in Texas in the morning, and I intend to be, even if I have to resign from International Rescue. Either way, someone needs to come get me."

Jeff couldn't believe John's tone. It was so out of character from his easy going son. "All right John, someone will be up shortly."

"Thanks Dad, I appreciate it."

Jeff sat at his desk for a few minutes. He knew the change in plans would not sit well with Alan, but John was right. He asked for very little and because of that, Jeff just couldn't say no to him.

"No sense in putting it off," Jeff muttered to himself as he made his way back outside.

TB TB TB

Alan spotted his father as soon as he reappeared on the patio. He had expected him to be angry, but his face didn't register any emotion when he made his way over to the couple.

"I need to talk to you two when Christina is done opening her gifts."

"Is there something wrong?" Tin-Tin asked.

"Nothing that can't be handled in a little bit." Jeff answered as he moved back to the table next to Lady Penelope.

Tin-Tin looked at her husband. "See, that wasn't so bad."

"He could've been holding it in so not to cause a scene in front of Christina."

"Don't borrow trouble. We'll find out soon enough. Christina is almost through with her presents."

Alan smiled. "She sure didn't take long."

Tin-Tin laughed. "Most kids don't."

Alan tried to block out the impending meeting while Christina continued opening gifts. She squealed in delight at the variety of clothes, games, toys, and the pink tricycle that she received. It took her roughly another fifteen minutes to finish after Jeff returned. Once she was done, Tin-Tin turned her over to Gordon, and she followed her husband and father-in-law into the house.

Once in Jeff's office, He began. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to postpone your vacation."

Alan sighed. "I knew it. For how long?"

"I'm really not sure. It depends."

Alan gave his father a "I can't believe you're doing this" look.

"I don't know the specifics. All I know is that a legal matter has come up that John needs to take care of immediately."

"Great, just great."

Jeff was getting irritated at Alan's tone, and it showed in his reply. "After all the times that John has filled in for you, I would've expected you to be more understanding. It's not like he went out looking for something to force you up to Five."

Tin-Tin broke in to ward off the argument that she knew was building. "Actually, it shouldn't be a problem. I haven't been feeling very well these past couple of days. Maybe it will be for the best. We can reschedule for later."

Alan nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry for getting riled. I can be ready to leave within the hour."

"Thank you, Alan. I'll let John know."

Tin-Tin looped her arm through Alan's. "Come on, I'll help you pack."

Jeff sighed after they left and thought. "That went better than expected. Tin-Tin sure has a way of handling him…me too, I guess."

The personnel transfer went very smoothly. John was too distracted to take Alan to task for his earlier attitude. After packing a quick bag, Virgil ferried him to Texas with plenty of time to spare before his meeting. John end up spending three days in Beaumont, and he refused to explain to his father what was going on.

On the fourth morning, Scott met his father in his office. "How's it going, Dad?"

"Fine, I'm going to have to go to New York next week, but no big deal."

"Anything else?"

"Brains has shown me some updates that he wants to implement on the fire tender."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"Like an upgrade to the control system. It should be easier to maneuver through a disaster area. Brains also wants to increase its scanner range. You'll be…"

"John," Scott interrupted in frustration. "Have you heard anything from John today?"

"A bit curious, are we?"

Scott rolled his eyes. "Oh please, like this whole situation isn't driving you nuts either. It's not like John to be so secretive."

"I know, but we have to trust that he has his reasons. Either way, we'll find out later this afternoon. His plane should be here around five."

"That's another thing. Why did he charter a plane home instead of letting us come and get him?"

"I don't know, Scott. We have to be patient."

"That's never been my strong suit."

"It wasn't mine either, but it's a true test of…"

"Yeah, yeah, it's a true test of a man's character if he can overcome his natural predisposition."

"So, you were listening to your old man."

"Do I really have to admit it?" Scott laughed.

Jeff laughed along with his son. "No, but it is something that I like to hear occasionally. How about a game of pool? Maybe if we keep busy, time will go faster."

"Okay, let's fill our time." Father and son left the office and joined up with Gordon and Virgil for the rest of the day.

Shortly before five that evening, John's pilot radioed in for clearance to land. John also spoke to his father and asked that the family meet him in the lounge. Jeff sat at his desk nervously tapping a pen against it. He had engaged "operation cover-up" since there was an outsider (the pilot of the charter plane) on the Island. Scott stood at the window staring out at the ocean. Virgil sat next to Gordon on the sofa, making faces at his niece who was bouncing on her father's knee. Tin-Tin sat across the room and smiled at the interaction between her daughter and the men. It always amazed her how a small girl could reduce the big strong Tracys to amusing, playful, little boys.

It seemed like an interminably long time before John appeared in the doorway. The family was surprised to see him carrying a small boy.

"Oh my God," Gordon muttered as his eyes widened in shock.

"Gordon, is that who I think it is?" Virgil asked.

Before Gordon could answer, John set the boy down. "I would like everyone to meet my son, Neil Armstrong Tracy."

TBC

Author's note - Okay, okay, so we WEREN'T real subtle in the last chapter. Most of you had figured out who Neil's father was. We'll have be sneakier in the future.

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to read our first chapter, and especially to those who took the time to review. We love the encouragement we get from them. We hope the second was just as good, even though there wasn't a lot of action.

A big cyber-hug to our beta, Lilleafrue. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.


	3. Explanations

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 3 – Explanations

John set the boy down. "I would like everyone to meet my son, Neil Armstrong Tracy."

"Excuse me? Your what?" Jeff questioned.

"My son and I know what you're thinking. We'll talk about it later."

Virgil moved from his spot on the sofa. "Here, John, have a seat."

John sat down and pulled Neil onto his lap. Christina eyed the newcomer suspiciously. Gordon reached over and tugged on Neil's pant leg. "Hey there, Neil, do you remember me?"

Neil nodded. "You took me away from my mom, and then she died."

"I'm sorry about that. We tried everything we could to save her, but we just couldn't. She wanted you safe, though that's why she told me to take you out. She really loved you a lot."

Jeff raised a questioning eyebrow toward his sons. Virgil caught the look and answered for them. "Neil was one of the rescued victims of that mall collapse. His mother wasn't as lucky. She made us promise to keep on child service until they found his father. I guess they finally did."

Gordon spoke up again. "You know what? Your dad is my brother. So that means I'm your Uncle Gordon."

John took over pointing out the rest of the family. "You may remember your Uncle Virgil too. This is your Grandpa Tracy, and your Uncle Scott. Over there is your Aunt Tin-Tin and this here," tugging on Christina's foot, "is your cousin Christina."

"Christina, can you say HI to your cousin Neil?" Gordon asked.

Christina made her way across the sofa and tried to force her way unto John's lap.

"Hey, hey, be nice. Neil is already sitting there." Gordon admonished his daughter.

Christina threw her arms around John's neck and glared at Neil. "Mine!"

Gordon grabbed his daughter and pulled her off her uncle. "Come on, Ladybug. Neil is going to be living here from now on. You're going to have to learn to share. Can you do that?" She stuck her bottom lip out but nodded. "That's my good girl."

Neil turned and buried his face in John's chest. "I don't like her. I want to go home."

John rubbed Neil's back. "I know this is hard for you, but this is your home now." Neil began to cry, soaking his father's shirt. "It's okay, Neil," he softly crooned. "It's been a long day, and with the jet lag, I'm sure you're tired. Things will look better after you get some sleep, even with Christina. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat before you lay down?"

Neil sniffed and nodded. "I'm hungry."

"Okay, we'll get you something to eat and then get you settled in our room."

"I'll come with you," Tin-Tin volunteered. "I have some macaroni and cheese in the oven. It should almost be done. Do you like mac and cheese, Neil?" Neil nodded. Tin-Tin picked her daughter up. "Come along then. Our food awaits." John and Neil followed behind her.

Once they left the room, Scott let out a low whistle. "What a shock. John has a son. I can't believe he walked away from that."

"He didn't," Virgil spoke up. "According to Kat, she never told him about the baby."

Scott shook his head. "How could she keep something like that from him? He's the boy's father. He had a right to know."

"I'm sure she had her reasons."

"What? I can't believe that you're defending her."

Virgil sighed. "I'm not saying that what she did was right, but she obviously loved Neil a lot. He's been well taken care of, and she left enough information that John could be found after her death. Most important, John must have seen something good in her while they were together."

"Virgil is right," Jeff interjected. "We didn't know this woman. So, we have no idea why she kept John in the dark, but for John's sake, and especially for Neil's sake, we need to keep our negative opinions to ourselves. She's gone, and it would only serve to hurt the ones left behind."

The three brothers simply nodded in agreement.

TB TB TB TB

Later that evening, the family gathered again in the lounge. Neil and Christina were both asleep so it seemed like a good time to explain the whole situation. Alan was even on the live video feed.

John began his story. "I met Kat, her full name was Katherine Elizabeth Barker, about a year before we started International Rescue. I was still living in Houston finishing my NASA tour. She was a computer programmer for NASA. We hit it off right away. She tended to be quiet around people she didn't know, but once she got to know you, she was a wonderful, fun-loving person to be around. I fell in love with her. Within three months, we had moved in together. I thought she was the one for me. We had talked about getting married and raising a family. We even talked about names. She laughed about all of us being named after astronauts. She thought we should keep it going." He shook his head with a sad smile on his face. "For a joke once, I gave her a teddy bear with the name 'Neil Armstrong Tracy' embroidered on its belly. I told her we could practice on it until the real children came along. Apparently, she gave it to Neil. He is sleeping with it now."

John paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Anyways, when Dad said it was time to move home, I proposed, but she said she wasn't ready to settle down yet. She certainly didn't want to move to the Island. She said it was too isolated no matter how many perks we added. She tried to convince me to stay in Houston. She couldn't understand why I would leave everything we had just because Dad said to come home, and I couldn't risk telling her the real reason for my moving. We argued about it. She called me a daddy's boy and told me that I needed to cut the apron strings. When I refused to stay, she told me to leave. It shocked me. I had never seen her like that. I decided to leave for the night. I figured that if I gave her time, she would calm down. But, when I got home after work the next day, she was gone. She had moved her stuff out of the apartment, which since it was a furnished apartment, wasn't too hard. I tried calling her, but she had changed her cell number. I tried to look her up at work, but she had quit effective immediately. Even though I didn't want to, I knew I had to give her up. I never heard from her again. I never knew about the baby."

"Until the lawyer contacted you," Jeff supplied.

"Right, at first I didn't believe it, but Kat had enough documentation to prove it, and his looks only solidify the claim."

"We noticed the looks, but we thought it was just coincidence," Virgil remarked.

"I even mentioned how much he looked like Alan," Gordon chimed in. "But never in a million years would I have thought you were the father."

"So, what are you saying?" Alan asked in disgust. "That I'm the kind of guy to sleep with a woman and then duck out of my responsibilities?" His face flushed when he realized how it sounded. "Sorry, John, I'm sure that sounded pretty nasty. I didn't mean anything."

"It's okay. Anyways, Mr. Walton helped me get through all the paperwork, and here we are, me and my son."

"I don't know how you can be so calm about this," Scott said. "If I were in your shoes, I'd be furious with Kat."

"I was at first, but after I listened to her recording…"

"Recording?" Virgil asked.

John gave Virgil a knowing look. "Yeah, apparently, a member of International Rescue who was working the accident scene allowed her to make a recording for me. I'll play it for you."

"You don't have to, not if it's too personal," Jeff stated.

"No, it's okay. It may help you to understand the situation better." John pulled a MP3 player out of his shirt pocket and turned it on.

Kat's voice began. "Hi, it's me. I know that this is a big surprise to you; first, hearing from me, and then learning, after all these years, that you have a son. I'm sorry that I kept it from you. I never meant for it to go on this long. I really did intend to contact you, but I kept putting it off. At first, I was angry. That was pretty obvious when I packed up and moved back to my mother's house in Beaumont. I didn't even know that I was pregnant until a couple of weeks later. My mother wanted me to contact you right away, but I was still angry. I figured I'd contact you after the baby was born, but when that time came, I got scared. I took one look at him, and fell madly in love with that baby. He became my whole world in an instant. I was afraid that you'd take one look at him and fall in love with him too, and then take him away from me. I mean, you are a Tracy, with a famous father and a fortune to rely on. How was I supposed to fight that?"

"I know you probably won't understand that because it doesn't make any sense because it doesn't to me. We were together for a year. My rational side told me that you weren't the kind of person to take my child from me, but my fear was irrational. I couldn't seem to overcome it. I couldn't take the chance."

"I justified it to myself that I was nursing, and he needed me. I promised myself that I would contact you when Neil was weaned. Unfortunately, about that time, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. It became an easy excuse. I convinced myself that I was dealing with too much emotionally to contact you at the time. It took two years of chemotherapy, radiation, and even an experimental drug trial before she lost her battle. Neil was old enough to know that his grandma was gone, but he didn't grasp the concept of death. I determined that it wasn't good for Neil to have new family members being introduced at that time."

"As time went by, it became harder and harder to call you, so I just made up excuses not to do it. I kept telling myself that it was your choice to leave me and move to your father's Island."

"Now, though, things have become clearer. I recognized the International Rescue operatives here as your brothers from the pictures you showed me. I can only imagine that is why you wanted to leave NASA. I wish I had known back then. I would've loved to have joined that organization."

"I hope that you can forgive me for all the stupid mistakes I've made. I've never stopped loving you, John. Take good care of our son. Make sure he knows I love him. If he turns out to be like his father, I couldn't ask for anything more. Goodbye, John."

Silence reigned in the lounge for a few seconds before John broke it. "Well, there you have it, the story of Kat. She hasn't had it easy since we separated."

"She mentioned her mother's death. Is her father still around?" Virgil asked.

John shook his head. "No, he passed away when she was still in high school."

"What about other family members?" Scott asked.

"Does it matter?"

"If Neil has family that will want him to visit, we have to limit how much he knows, so he doesn't accidently spill the beans."

"I don't think we can limit it," Gordon interjected. "He's already recognized Virgil and me as International Rescue."

"Well, we're lucky in that regard," John answered. "The only family that Kat had left is a great-Aunt who lives in a nursing home and suffers from dementia. I will have to take Neil to see her, but even if he says anything, no one would believe her with her memory problems. They would figure she was mixing up his life now with his rescue from the collapsed mall."

"Thank God for small favors," Jeff added.

John nodded slightly. "Well, I'm going to head back to my room. I want to be there in case Neil wakes up. It's a new place. I don't want him to be afraid."

"Before you go, I would like a word with you in private," Jeff said.

John nodded and followed his father into his private office. Once the door was closed, he asked. "What's up Dad?"

Jeff sighed. "I'm not sure how to bring this up, but how well did you know this Katherine?"

"What'd you mean 'How well did I know her'? We were together for a year. I was in love with her. How well did you know Mom after a year?"

Jeff ignored his son's question. "You say you loved her, but you didn't trust her enough to tell her about International Rescue."

"Don't even go there, Dad."

"I'm sorry, but I have to. How can we trust her claim that you are Neil's father?"

John threw his hands up in exasperation. "Come on. How can you even ask that? He looks just like me."

"That could be coincidence. If she had a thing for blond hair, blue eyed men, your mind could be deceiving you with the other characteristics."

"What are you trying to get at, Dad?"

"I think we should get a DNA test to prove paternity."

"Absolutely not."

"Excuse me? What did you say?"

"There is no way that I am putting Neil through that pain."

"What pain? They don't draw blood anymore. It's just a quick swab of the cheek."

"That's not what I'm talking about. This kid isn't stupid, Dad. He just lost his mother, and he's been told that I am his father, me…a total stranger. Now, if I run a test to prove that, no matter what the results are, he will feel unwanted. I won't do that to him. I just won't. Mr. Walton had enough documentation to prove it to me. She even gave him the last name of 'Tracy' on his birth certificate. I can show you all the paperwork if you want, but that's it, no paternity test."

"And if I insist on the test?"

"Then we'll leave. From this moment on, Neil is my son, no questioning it. If you can't handle it, then tough."

Jeff regarded his son. "Is that your final word?"

John straightened himself to full height. "Yes, it is."

Jeff almost smiled at the stubbornness that was being displayed by John. All his boys had a stubborn streak. They inherited it from him, but John was the least likely of them to display it so evidently. He simply nodded his head and said, "In that case, we'll have to build you and your son a suite of rooms like I did for Alan and his family."

"Speaking of Alan, I would request that he stay on Five for a while. I need some time to bond with my son and make sure that he is comfortable enough to stay here while I'm gone."

"I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, are we done here. I'd like to get back to Neil."

"We're done," Jeff answered. "And John, it may be five years late, but congratulations. You're going to be a great dad."

John nodded and left the office. Jeff sat at his desk and tried to process this surprise twist to the Tracy family tree.

TB TB TB TB TB

The next morning, when Alan called in for the daily radio check, Jeff approached the subject of the schedule with him. "Alan, I'm going to need you to stay on Five for a while. Make a list of anything you want that you didn't take up there, and I'll make sure it's in the supply run next week."

"How long do you want me to stay up here?"

"At least two months, maybe three, it depends on how quickly Neil adjusts to his new home."

Alan shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible."

Jeff sighed heavily. "I thought we went through this earlier. John spent six months straight on Five when Christina was born so that you could spend time and bond with her. I'm only asking you to return the favor. John and especially Neil need this time together."

"Dad, you don't understand…" Alan began only to be interrupted by Jeff.

"You're damn right that I don't understand. I don't understand how you can be so selfish. I'm getting real tired of…"

"Tin-Tin's pregnant."

Jeff stopped his tirade short. "What?"

"My wife is going to have a baby. We weren't planning on announcing it until after her first pre-natal appointment. That's why I can't stay up here that long. Her appointment is in a couple of weeks, and I need to be with her."

"I'm sorry, Alan. I shouldn't have assumed."

"But it's so easy to, isn't it," Alan snapped. "After all, it's just Alan, the baby of the family, who is still treated as a baby. I would've hoped that these past few years would've proved my maturity, but I guess that is asking too much. Every time I think things have finally started to change, something like this happens, and I'm back to being the spoiled baby again."

Jeff's mind instantly flashed back to the incident a couple years back that almost cause him the loss of this son. He pushed those thoughts away as quickly as they had surfaced. "You're right. I was being unfair. Look, let me check into a few things. Somehow, we'll get this worked out."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Five, out."

The live feed went back to Alan's portrait. Jeff blew out a heavy breath. As much as he liked the idea of being a grandfather for the third time, this was a complication that he just didn't need at this time.

A couple hours later, Jeff sat in Brains' lab. He had explained the situation to him. "So, you see, both John and Alan need to be planet side, but there's no time to train anyone else. You are the only other one who knows Five well enough to man her. I really hate to ask you because it takes you away from your work here, but I don't know how else to handle this."

"I c-c-completely underst-st-stand, Mr. T-T-Tracy. This is a p-p-perfect opportunit-t-ty to disc-c-cus something I've b-b-been working on."

"Really? And what is that?"

"I've b-b-been w-w-working on a progr-gr-gram to t-t-totally autom-m-mate Five."

"That would be great. Then no one would have to be up there."

"Ac-ac-actually, s-s-someone would st-st-still have to g-g-go up once a m-m-month for a f-f-few days for r-r-routine m-m-maintence."

"But that's still better than someone having to be there all the time or having to rely on the radio relay. How soon can you have it ready?"

"There are a f-f-few more thing I h-h-have to w-w-work through. It sh-sh-should be r-r-ready the first p-p-part of next w-w-week."

"Great. With that timetable, you can get it set up, and Alan can be back down before he needs to be. That'll make him happy. Brains, you are a wonder. I don't know how you always seem to have new equipment ready just when we seem to need it."

Brains blushed under the praise. "Th-thank you, Mr. T-T-Tracy. I t-t-try my best."

"And I appreciate it. Keep up the good work," Jeff made his way across the lab and gave Brains a casual wave as he left the room.

About two in the afternoon, John entered Brains' lab. "Hey there, Brains, how's it going?"

"H-H-Hello, John, I'm f-f-fine. H-H-How are you? Wh-Wh-Where's N-Neil? H-H-How is he d-d-doing?"

"He's sleeping again. I'm not sure if this is normal or not. He's had a rough couple of weeks, and then the trip to the Island, it could've just worn him out. But then, it could also be his way of isolating himself. I don't know how to tell. I'm just too new at this father thing."

"Unf-f-fortunately, I c-c-cannot give you ad-d-dvise, but you w-w-will learn. You're a q-q-quick st-study."

"Thank you, Brains, but I actually came here to see your idea about automating my bird."

"I f-f-figured it wouldn't be to l-l-long before you sh-sh-showed up." Brains pulled up a schematic on the computer. "T-T-Tomorrow I'll n-need h-h-help in c-c-converting st-storeroom four into the n-n-new command c-c-center for F-F-Five."

"Will it be able to do everything that Five did?"

Brains nodded. "R-R-Radio calls w-will be rel-l-layed, and I've in-in-increased the p-p-power. We w-w-will still u-u-use F-Five's sens-sors to m-m-monitor atmosphere-ric r-r-readings to al-l-lert us to p-p-potential prob-blems. Of c-course, the n-n-normal hot sp-sp-spots, nuclear pl-pl-plants, m-military b-b-bases, airp-ports, and the s-s-such, will st-st-still be w-w-watched caref-f-fully."

"So, the answer to my question would be yes. It'll do everything that Five does."

"W-W-Without the inh-h-heirent d-d-angers of a sp-space st-st-station."

"No dangers, but without the great views of the stars, or the optimum platform for astronomical research, but I guess, it's worth it. Both Alan and I can spend time with our families."

"A m-m-most imp-p-portant pl-pl-plus to the s-s-situation."

"Is there anything you need…" John began, but he was interrupted by the sound of whimpering from a two way radio. He keyed the radio. "It's okay, Neil. I'm on my way, just wait a second." He quickly left the room without another word.

TBC

Author's Note - Okay, here we go. John has to learn how to be a father. Talk about being thrown feet first into the fire. Not alot of action in this chapter, sorry. We still hope you liked it anyways. Again, a big thanks to our beta, you know who you are. Thank you to all our faithful readers. Until next week...enjoy.


	4. Adjustments

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 4 – Adjustments

Three days later, the transformation of the storeroom was almost complete. The banks of monitors along the wall were ready to be uplinked to Five's computers. Three more monitors sat on a table waiting for the new command desk that Jeff had ordered.

Virgil sighed and sat down in a folding chair. "When is the rest of the furniture supposed to get here?"

"The chairs are supposed to be in today's mail shipment," Jeff answered. "But the main desk won't be here for about a month. Daniel has two other orders to finish before he can start on mine."

"You were really lucky finding that woodworker," John mentioned, knowing the quality of the other pieces around the house that were made by him.

"Yes, I was. His grandfather was a true Amish woodworker, and, even though Daniel's father left the community, he still used the same techniques and handed them down to the next generation."

Scott shook his head. "Are we going to have to tear these monitors down to put them in the desk when it arrives?"

"N-No, if the desk is built to the ex-exact specifications we sent, we should be able to m-m-mount them with little dif-f-ficulty."

Scott nodded. "Sounds good."

John glanced at his watch. "Well, if we're done here, I need to get Neil from his swimming lesson with Gordon."

"W-W-We're done for now," Brains answered. "If I need you l-l-later, I'll find you."

"It's good seeing Neil coming out of his shell, and that he and Christina are getting along better," Virgil stated. "Maybe I can give him piano lessons, if he's interested."

"I'll ask him," John replied as he went to leave.

The alarm went off as he was leaving. The family rushed to the lounge. Gordon joined them with a towel-wrapped Neil in his arms. Jeff keyed the comm. Unit. "What's up, Alan?"

"There has been a tour bus accident in Mexico. The bus went through the guardrail and partway down a muddy embankment. The heavy rains of the past week have caused the river to swell, and the current is running fast. The mud is making it hard to reach them from the top, and the swollen river is making it hard to reach them from the bottom. So, they're kind of stuck."

"Do we know how many are on the bus?"

"According to the intel, it's a group of forty-two senior citizens that were on a 'tour of ancient Mexican ruins'."

Jeff nodded. "Okay, Alan, tell them we're on our way. Scott, take off. Virgil and Gordon, head to Thunderbird Two. You'll need the recovery vehicle."

An almost unison chorus of "F-A-B"s answered their father.

As the three brothers left the room, Neil became anxious in his father's arms. "Hey, it's okay."

Neil shook his head. "I wanna go."

"Okay, we'll go. How about we find Christina and we'll all go down to the beach and build a sand castle?"

"Okay," Neil acquiesced, but he didn't seem too happy.

John and Jeff shared a quick look of concern, but John shrugged his shoulders. He chalked up Neil's reaction to the fact that this was the first time the alarm had gone off since he came to the Island. After all, Neil's one and only interaction with International Rescue ended with the death of his mother. It was only natural that he would not have a good outlook for it. John assumed it would get better as time went by.

The rescue was handled very easily. All forty-two passengers, the bus driver and the tour guide were rescued. Most of the injuries were minor. Between the victims, there was one broken leg, three broken arms, a mild concussion, and the most serious was a torn liver that was successfully treated at the local hospital. Even though it was an easy rescue, it was also time consuming. The Thunderbirds didn't return to the Island until after midnight.

The next morning Neil was at the table picking at his breakfast. "Is your breakfast not to your liking, Mr. Neil?" Kyrano asked.

Neil just shrugged.

John set his paper down on the table. "Son, I know you're getting used to a lot of new things, but it's rude to just shrug when you are asked a question. Now, Kyrano asked if there is something wrong with your breakfast. Can you answer him by using your words?"

Neil nervously looked between his father and Kyrano. "It's good."

"Are you certain, Mr. Neil? I am willing to make you something else if you would prefer."

Neil started to shrug again, but caught John's raised eyebrow from across the table. "No sir, I'm just not hungry today."

"Are you feeling okay, son?"

Neil nodded. "I'm okay."

Before Neil could respond, Gordon came bounding into the kitchen and helped himself to a cup of coffee. "Good morning, boy that breakfast smells wonderful, Kyrano. I'm starved."

"Good morning, Mr. Gordon, I will have your plate ready in a moment." Kyrano replied.

John smiled. "You're in a good mood this morning."

"Why wouldn't I be? It's a beautiful morning. The sun is shining. The birds are singing." Ruffling Neil's hair, he continued. "It's a great day for another swimming lesson. How about it sport?"

Neil shook his head. "I don't want to."

Gordon looked at him in surprise. "What? Why not? I thought you like the swimming lessons."

"I changed my mind. I don't wanna swim."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Neil," John said. "Swimming is a good skill to know, at least the basics, and there is no one better to teach you than Uncle Gordon. Besides, we all do a lot of swimming around here. You're going to feel left out if you don't learn."

Neil didn't contradict his father, but his face showed his discomfort.

Gordon took pity of his young nephew. "Well, it doesn't have to be today. You've had to get used to a lot of new things lately. Haven't you, bud? If you don't want to swim today, that's okay. We can pick it up in a couple of days."

"Okay," Neil answered as he took a bite of his pancake, trying to please the adults by at least making an effort to eat.

Kyrano placed a plate of scrambled eggs with green peppers and onions in it, two slices of bacon, and two sausage patties in front of Gordon. He was back in a few seconds with a plate that held three blueberry pancakes and a bowl of fresh cut fruit. A glass of milk, a glass of orange juice, and a refill of his coffee cup rounded out the breakfast. It was at that time, Scott and Virgil entered the kitchen together.

"See, I told you he beat us down here," Virgil teased.

Gordon gave his brothers an innocent look. "Can you blame me? After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, and you're pretty partial to lunch and dinner."

"Not to mention the midnight raids of the refrigerator," Virgil commented as he handed Scott a cup of coffee and sat down with his own. "Hey, Kyrano, I don't feel like pancakes this morning. Just give me extra eggs and extra meats."

Kyrano bowed his head slightly. "Very good, Mr. Virgil."

"Just give me everything, I'm not picky," Scott added.

"Of course not, the human garbage can," Gordon spoke up.

"Hardy, har, har. You're eating the same thing. So what does that say about you?"

Kyrano left the brothers to their teasing interaction while he set about getting their breakfasts.

Scott looked around and asked. "Where's Dad? Did he already eat?"

"He left early this morning to get Grandma from Kansas," John answered. "They won't be back until late tomorrow."

Scott nodded. "I remember now."

Gordon grinned. "You mean the great Scott Tracy forgot something? Could your age be showing?"

"I guess I did forget to give my little brother his daily whooping."

"Like you could, old man."

Scott made some exaggerated boxing moves. "Let's step outside, and I'll show you my age."

John shook his head. "Now, now boys, let's set a good example for the child among us."

"And how can you tell who that is?" Virgil piped in.

John reached over and ruffled Neil's hair. "Actually, he's the one that's acting the most mature at the moment."

The teasing calmed down some as Kyrano placed the plates of food in front of Scott and Virgil. Eventually, the conversation drifted to the previous night's rescue. Gordon happily filled John in on the story of how three different older, blue-haired women were hitting on Virgil.

"He was holding his own until this one slipped him her address and phone number. Suddenly, this old man appears and starts poking Virg in the chest, sputtering how uncouth he is using his 'position to prey on unsuspecting ladies in their hour of need'."

John laughed. "How'd you get away?"

Virgil ducked his head. "I gave him the paper and told him I was counting on him to take care of the lady."

The group laughed out loud until Neil spoke up. "Did she die?"

Confused looks circled the table. "Did who die?" His father asked.

"The lady hitting Uncle Virgil."

John moved next to his son's chair. "Is that what's been bothering you since they went out yesterday? That someone was going to die?"

Neil nodded as his eyes filled with tears.

John pulled him into his arms. "Aw, Neil, there are a lot of times we go out and nobody dies. I wish you would've told me yesterday. We could've talked about this. How about we take a walk and talk about it now."

Neil nodded. He pushed his plate away and stood. John took a last drink of his coffee, and the two left the kitchen hand in hand.

Gordon watched them leave. "It's going to be hard for him if he worries each time we go out on a call."

"Yeah, and what happens when John goes out with us?" Virgil commented.

"What if he doesn't?" Gordon asked.

"Doesn't what?" Scott responded.

"What if John doesn't go out with us again," Gordon clarified his question. "What if John decided to quit because it is too hard of Neil for him to go out?" He realized by his brother's lack of response that he was not the only one who had thought about this. "Guys?"

Scott quietly replied, "We can only hope that, as time goes by, that Neil learns that we save more lives than we lose. Until then, we can only love and support them both, no matter how it works out."

TBC

Author's Note: Okay, here's the next chapter. Poor Neil, can he ever get over his fear? How will John handle this? Again, not a whole lot of action. We still hope you enjoyed it.


	5. Fight

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 5 – Fight

Over the next month, things began to fall into a comfortable routine. Brains got Five set on complete automation. It was nice having everyone on the Island. Now, that the control center was on Earth, it also gave Jeff the opportunity to implement his plan to train the other three boys in her controls. They had taken to it pretty easily. At this point, they were each taking turns working in the control center with either John or Alan supervising them, but Jeff figured in another week or so, they would be ready to man the center alone.

Tin-Tin and Alan had traveled to the mainland for her first pre-natal appointment. The first set of blood tests all came back normal. So, she wasn't scheduled to return for another month. The doctor scheduled her for the "end of trimester" ultrasound on the same day. They decided, and asked Jeff to abide by their decision, not to reveal Tin-Tin's condition until after the ultrasound. They also decided to reschedule the missed family vacation for around that time, and they figured that they could break the news to Christina at that time.

Neil had settled into the family. He still got nervous each time the Thunderbirds went out, and he completely withdrew the one time they lost a victim, but John was very patient with him to work through his fears.

The suite of rooms for John and Neil were completed in a little more than a week. John really enjoyed his room at the corner of the villa. It afforded him a great view of the night sky, and since his time up on Five itself was going to be limited, he didn't want to give it up. So, Gordon, who had the room next to John's kindly offered to move into Alan's old room. They knocked out the wall separating the rooms, then added walls to create two smaller bedrooms and a sitting room. They didn't put in a kitchen because John was adamant that they would be eating with the family most of the time, and when they didn't, he could still use the villa's kitchen and take it elsewhere.

Grandma Tracy was finally on her way home. Jeff had gone to Kansas weeks ago to get her only to find that she had picked up a nasty cough that developed into pneumonia. She tried to convince Jeff that it wasn't that bad, but he insisted that she see a doctor. She was admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics. She remained hospitalized for ten days. Once she was released, Jeff had arranged for her to stay at a hotel with a twenty-four hour nurse. She tried to fight the arrangement. She wanted to get home and meet the newest Tracy, but the family insisted she couldn't fly back until her lung functions were back to normal. She tried to be bullheaded about it and threaten to charter her own flight home. John finally had to step in. He told her that he would not let her meet Neil until she got a clean bill of health, no matter when she came back to the Island. Grandma relented after that. John didn't get riled very often. So when he did, she took notice.

Jeff had stayed in Kansas while his mother was in the hospital. He had gone to visit her a couple of times after she was release, and now he was in Kansas once more to bring her home. The family was preparing a "Welcome Home" party for her. Kyrano was handling the food. Virgil was in charge of the decorations. Tin-Tin washed her bedding and gave the room a quick once-over to make sure it was ready to be occupied again. The rest of the family entertained the children.

The closer the time for Jeff and Grandma's return got, the more nervous Neil got."Will she like me?" he asked his father.

"Of course, she'll like you. She's going to love you."

Neil gave his father a doubtful look. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Everyone here loves you. Why wouldn't she?"

Neil shrugged. "Christina doesn't like me sometimes."

John laughed. "Christian does love you, but she's also two. She wants everything her way, but she'll grow out of it. Plus, she's not used to having to share the attention, but that'll come too." Neil still didn't look convinced. John continued. "How about we take a walk along the beach? Just you and I? Would that make you feel better?" Neil nodded, and the two took off on their walk.

Shortly after five, Jeff brought Tracy One in for a landing. The family had gathered in the lounge to wait. Christina danced around. "Gamma 'ome, Gamma 'ome."

Alan ruffled her hair as he walked by her. "Yes, Grandma's home."

Gordon swooped her up in his arms. "You aren't excited, now are you?" She squirmed and tried to get back down. He started tickling her. "Are you trying to get away? Are you? Do you think you can? Huh? Do you?"

A voice from the door spoke. "Some things never change around here."

"Gamma!" Christina fought even harder to get down. Gordon placed her on her feet, and she ran to her great-grandmother.

Jeff helped his mother pick up Christina and positioned her on her hip. "Hello, there, Chrissy-girl. Grandma missed you."

Christina hugged her grandmother's neck. "I miss too."

"Were you a good girl while I was gone?"

Christina grinned and nodded.

"And if I ask your parents, will they say the same thing?"

She glanced around at her parents and then nodded again. Grandma had watched the parent's reactions and was satisfied with her answer. "That's good to hear."

"Pes'ant?"

"Yes, I brought you a present. I'll give it to you after supper, but first, I want to meet your new cousin."

Christina was set back down. Grandma moved to where John sat quietly on the sofa with a child on his lap. "My goodness, he's the spitting image of you."

John nodded. "Grandma, this is my son, Neil Armstrong Tracy."

Grandma held her hand out to Neil. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Neil. I'm actually your great-grandmother, but you can just call me Grandma. Everyone else does."

Neil looked at his father, who nodded his head in encouragement. He then reached out and shook her hand, but he didn't speak.

"I look forward to getting to know you better, young man. We're family now, and nothing is more important than that."

Neil still didn't respond, so Grandma kept talking. "You seem shy. Well, that's all right. Your father was shy when he was a boy. How about you sit next to me at dinner, and we can get better acquainted then? Is that okay?"

Neil gave a small nod of his head and whispered "Okay."

Dinner was a riotous affair. The Tracy brothers were loud as they each tried to be the first to tell Grandma what had happened while she was gone. Between the laughter, Grandma was able to draw Neil slightly out of his shell. She really won him over when, after dinner, she presented him gifts along with Christina. There were stuffed animals for both, a new doll for Christina, a toy rocket for Neil, "I love Kansas" t-shirts for each in different colors of course.

Unfortunately, the gift giving session was interrupted by a rescue call. Scott and Alan ran to the new control center and relayed the information to the lounge.

"There is a research sub a few miles off the Great Barrier Reef that has lost its rudder," Scott reported. "The pilot has shut down the engines, but the currents are still carrying it towards the reef. They figure they will hit it in around two hours. They want to know if we can reach them before that."

Virgil headed towards the rocket picture. "Tell them we'll be there in a half hour. Come on, Gordon. I'll meet you in Two." He tipped back and disappeared from sight.

Gordon used the elevator to make his way to Thunderbird Two's hanger. By the time he got there, Two was settling over pod four. Once the pod was locked on, he climbed aboard and headed straight to Thunderbird Four. He keyed the comm. "Okay, Virg, I'm in the pod. Let's get your bird in the air, so I can get mine prepped."

"F-A-B, Gords, preparing for lift-off."

It wasn't long before Thunderbird Two was airborne. Gordon went through the pre-launch checklist for Four. Once that was finished, he carefully checked the winch figuring they would need it to raise the other sub. During that time, he listened in on the radio conversation between his older brothers.

"Okay, John," Scott began. "I'm over the danger zone. Give me the radio frequency for the sub."

"F-A-B, I'm sending it straight to Thunderbird One's computer."

"Thanks, John. Virg, how far out are you?"

"We're about sixteen minutes out. Gordon is prepping four now. So, he will be ready to launch as soon as we get there."

"Good deal, I'll talk to you again after I speak with the sub."

The radio was silent for a few minutes, and then Scott was back. "Virg, can you speed up anymore?"

"A little, why?"

"The sub has now sprung a leak. Apparently, it's not a heavy flow, but the crew is getting nervous."

"Can't say that I blame them, I'm increasing speed. Do you have a plan yet?"

"It's simple. Gordon takes Four down and rescues the three people on the ship. No big deal."

"What about the sub itself?"

"The captain said to just let it go. He said lately it has been more trouble than it's worth."

Gordon heard that comment and keyed his own comm. "The hell we're going to let it go!"

"Gordon?" Scott questioned. "You have a problem with that?"

"Of course, I have a problem. Those research subs aren't that big. There's no reason why we can't raise it!"

"We are in the rescue business, not the salvage business."

"I'm talking about a rescue…a rescue of the undersea creatures who call the ocean their home. Animals, who, have to deal with the pollution of their habitat, unfortunately, on a fairly regular basis."

"He has a point there, Scott," Virgil added his own two cents.

"What pollution? I've heard of ships being sunk on purpose to create man-made underwater reefs for the sea life," Scott argued. It wasn't that he really had a problem with retrieving the sub; he just hated having his plans questioned.

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Those are carefully planned projects. This isn't. If the sub continues to drift and hits the reef, it'll kill some of the coral and damage the homes of other animals that live on the reef. There's no telling the damage to the eco-system when the fuel and oil leak out, and they will. Now, we may not be able to stop all the polluting of our oceans, but I'm certainly not going to contribute to it, not just for convenience sake."

"Okay, you've made your point. Once you get the people off the sub, attach a towline and we'll raise it."

"Thanks, Scott. It may not seem like much, but every little bit helps the ecology."

"Okay, Gords, we're less than five minutes out," Virgil announced. "Mount up."

"Already there, I'm raring to go."

"F-A-B, dropping to release altitude. Stand by." Virgil carefully maneuvered his bird into the correct position to release the pod. It didn't matter how often he did this, he still got nervous when it came to drop Pod Four. He was fully aware that just a small error could cause serious injury to his brother. Forcing his worries to the back of his mind, he concentrated on his job. "The pod will drop in thirty seconds…" He slowed Thunderbird Two to a hover over the ocean. "Drop in ten seconds…" Virgil counted down the seconds. "Three…two…one…drop." He disconnected the magnetic clamps and pulled up as Two adjusted to the sudden weight loss as the pod dropped. "Drop complete. You okay, Gordo?"

"I'm fine. Deploying Thunderbird Four." The front of the pod opened and the launch ramp slid into the water. Gordon fired the engines and Thunderbird Four submerged into the water. Gordon smiled. He loved the water. He felt a peacefulness and harmony with nature even when on a rescue. He would have loved to spend some time just exploring the reef, but he had a job to do. Turning on his sonar, he located the research sub. "Okay, I have located the sub. It's about two hundred yards off my starboard. I'm making my way there."

"F-A-B," Scott responded. "Be careful down there."

Gordon left the comm. open and gave a step by step description of what he was doing. "I have located their airlock…moving into position parallel to it…deploying universal airlock connector…engaging automatic pilot…moving to open airlock." He crossed over to the other vessel. "Hello, International Rescue at your service. Anyone hurt?"

A small, wiry man pushed his way past Gordon. "No, just get us out of here before this thing sinks completely."

Two more men followed him to the airlock. The bigger one rolled his eyes. "So much for the 'captain going down with the ship'." He held his hand out to shake Gordon's hand. When Gordon took it, he began to introduce the group. "I'm Lee Arnold. I'm a research aide to Professor Wampler, here. Our fearless captain that just ran through here is Greg Beaman. We appreciate you coming to help us."

Gordon nodded and shook hands with the professor too. "Just doing my job. I'm glad to meet you even though the circumstances aren't the best. Now, if you would please make yourself comfortable in the passenger compartment, we'll be to the surface in just a few minutes."

Gordon got his passengers settled and then went back to the cockpit. He disconnected the airlock and used the computer controls to attach the towline to the research sub. He keyed the comm. "Okay, Virg, I'm on my way up."

"F-A-B, I'm waiting for you."

Thunderbird Four made its way to the surface. Gordon turned it around and maneuvered it onto the pod's ramp. He winched the towline in until the sub was nose to nose with Thunderbird Four. He then hit the control for the ramp, and it retracted both vehicles into the pod. The pod door closed, and the pumps automatically evacuated the water that had leaked in while the door was opened.

Gordon contacted his brother. "Hey, Virg, we're all buttoned up here. Time for a pick up."

"You got it." Virgil kept his comm. Open as he picked up the pod. "Moving into position…engaging VTOL…lowering over pod…engaging magnetic clamps…connection board is green. Pod is securely attached…climbing to cruising altitude…coordinates locked in for Cairns. Scott, you coming with us?"

"Nah, I think you and Gordon can handle three scientists."

"Correction," Gordon broke in. "Two scientists, and one sea captain who isn't worth his salt, the scum."

Virgil laughed, "Gee, Gordon, don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel."

"Well, I'm sorry," Gordon replied snidely. "Most captains develop affection for their ships. First, he tells Scott to drop her in the ocean. Then, he's the first one off the sub. He showed no concern for his ship or passengers. Plus, he's rude, very rude. He didn't introduce himself. He just came aboard and started giving orders."

"I still think you two can handle it," Scott replied. "Just keep your temper."

Gordon snorted. "Thanks for the advice. Speaking of which, now that we're airborne, I need to move them to Thunderbird Two's passenger compartment."

"Go to it then. I'll see you back at the Island."

Gordon moved to Thunderbird Four's passenger compartment. Addressing the three passengers, he said, "If you would follow me, I will move you to a more comfortable setting for the ride back to Cairns."

The group followed Gordon out of Thunderbird Four and across the pod. Captain Beaman stopped in his tracks when he noticed his sub also sitting in the pod. "What the hell? What is that doing here?"

"I attached a towline and brought it up with us."

"But I told the other guy that it could be just left to the sea."

"It really wasn't a big deal to retrieve it. It was a pretty easy process to save it."

The captain exploded in anger. "You don't understand. You ruined everything. All my plans…completely ruined!"

Gordon was taken aback by the reaction. "Excuse me? What plans did I ruin?"

Captain Beaman ignored the questions and continued his ranting. "I can't believe this. Months of careful planning…shot to hell. Making sure that there was time for a rescue…removing that one valve ring…just enough leaking…" His volume level rose as he spoke, and he began to tug at hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

Gordon frowned in confusion. Maybe he had been too hard on the captain when he first came aboard. Maybe he had a head injury or was sick in some way. He sure wasn't making much sense.

To Lee however, the captain's raving took a whole different meaning. He pulled himself up to his full height in front of the captain. "Are you saying that you purposely created the mechanical problems just so you could sink your own ship?"

"That can't be," Gordon spoke up. "He needs that ship to run his business. Why would he sabotage it?"

The captain shook his head. "It was the only way. I needed the insurance money."

Lee grabbed him by the shirt. "You lousy, son of a… You risked all our lives for _money_? How could you?"

Gordon was shocked at the admission, but moved to break up the impending fight. "Come on, man. Let him go. This isn't the way to handle it. We'll turn him over to the authorities when we land."

"For what?" the captain demanded. "I haven't done anything. You ruined my plans before I could!"

Gordon couldn't believe this guy's attitude. "Nothing, huh? How about attempting to defraud an insurance company? How about sabotage? How about reckless endangerment? How about attempted murder?"

"It'll never stick. I never filed an insurance claim, and no one got hurt, so…"

Lee shook him forcefully. "Hurt! I'll show you hurt!"

"Come on. Stop it. Don't get yourself in trouble." Gordon tried to pull Lee off the captain.

"It'll be worth it to break your scrawny neck!"

Professor Wampler also tried to break up the fray. "Stop this insanity, Mr. Arnold."

"No!" Lee growled. He did let go long enough to push Gordon and the professor away. The captain tried to run, but Lee was on him again in just a few seconds. The fracas continued back and forth across the pod and around the ship like some weird two-on-two wrestling matches. Lee and the captain were throwing punches and grappling with each other. Gordon and the professor kept trying to pull them apart only to be pushed aside by one or both of the combatants.

When it became obvious that things were getting out of hand, Gordon keyed his watch. In between the scuffle he called his brother. "I need some help back here."

Virgil could hear the sounds of the fight over the comm. Confusion showed his face. "Are you fighting?"

"Don't ask stupid questions. Just get back here now!"

"On my way." Virgil set the auto pilot controls and quickly made his way to the pod. He couldn't believe the scene in front of him. "What the hell?" It looked like Gordon and one of the passengers were trying to break up the fight between the other two. For one short moment, it looked like they had the upper hand. They both had one opponent and were dragging them away from each other. Unfortunately, the one being held by the passenger broke away and charged back to his opponent. He used his forward momentum to add extra power to the punch he was throwing. At the last second before the punch landed the small guy that Gordon was holding caught him off guard by simply spinning him into the path of the incoming blow. Virgil watched in horror as the punch landed on the small of his brother's back.

Gordon's world exploded with blinding pain. He couldn't stop the cry of pain that escaped his lips. He also couldn't stop himself from falling when all the strength dissipated from his legs.

Virgil heard his brother cry out and watched him fall. He could tell by the look on Gordon's face that he was in intense pain. The two fighters, however, seemed oblivious to the damage that was done. Virgil saw red. He angrily crossed the pod and gave each fighter one solid punch. The smaller man hit the floor like a ton of bricks. The other leaned against the sub in a daze.

"You stay put, or you'll be the next body on the floor," Virgil growled. Kneeling next to his brother, he questioned. "Gordon, you okay?"

Gordon's breathing was rapid and shallow. "My back…pain…" He gasped.

"How bad? Can you feel your legs? Arms?"

Gordon took mental note of his limbs. "Arms…okay…legs…prickly…pins and needles…like asleep."

"Okay, don't move. I'm going to get a backboard from the medical bay."

"Don't need…backboard…" Gordon stammered as he tried to sit up. He fell back with a loud moan.

"I said don't move. I'm not taking any chances with your back. You've already broken it once. There's no telling what injuries that blow caused. Now, just lie still."

Gordon knew there was no sense in arguing. He gave a small nod of his head. "F-A-B."

Virgil headed for the door, but he stopped at a storage locker first. He tossed a coil of rope to the guy that had been helping Gordon. "Tie those two up. I don't want any more problems out of them." Pointing at Gordon, he continued. "Plus, keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't move."

The professor looked at Gordon and then to Virgil. "Is he going to be okay?"

Virgil looked worriedly back at his brother. "I certainly hope so." He left the pod and went to the medical bay. He also contacted Scott on the way. "Scott, I need you back here. Gordon's been injured."

"What? What happened?"

"A fight broke out between the passengers. I'm not sure why. Anyways, one of them punched him in the back."

"His back? Oh God, how bad is it?"

"I don't know. I'm going to put him on a backboard as a precaution. I want you to meet me in Cairns, preferably with the police and a medical team."

"You got it. What about the passengers that caused this?"

"I have them tied up in the pod. They won't be causing any more trouble. I just need to turn them over to the police before I hit them again."

"You hit them?"

Virgil redden a bit in embarrassment. "It was a reflex when I saw Gordon go down."

"Okay, we'll sort this all out later. Get back to Gordon. I'll take care of the police and medics. I'll also radio base and let them know what's going on."

"Thanks, Scott. I appreciate it."

Scott nodded. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Two, out."

Author's Note – Okay, we're back to some action. Let's see a show of hands, who thought the "fight" was going to between a couple of brothers? Gotcha. Poor Gordon, we just can't help but beat up on the boys. We hope that you enjoy it.

To criminally charmed: I know we said Alan would be in this chapter, but we got the chapters mixed up. It'll be a few more until we see more of him. Sorry.


	6. Care

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 6 – Care

John entered the lounge. "You wanted to see me?" he asked his father.

"Yes, I did. There's been a complication on the rescue. Gordon's been hurt."

"What happened? Did he have trouble getting the crew? Was the sub damaged?"

"Scott didn't have all the specifics. Apparently, a fight broke out between the rescued men, and when Gordon tried to break it up, one of them hit him squarely on his back."

"Oh, God, not his back, how bad is it?"

Jeff sighed heavily. "Bad enough that Virgil requested medics to meet them in Cairns. We'll know more shortly. We'll have to hope and pray for the best, no matter what, he'll have the best medical care. I'll make sure of that. I already asked Brains to research the doctors and hospitals in Cairns."

"Do you really think that he needs a hospital?"

"I'm not about to take any chances."

"He's going to die, isn't he?" Neil's voice came from the door.

John whirled around to face his son. "Neil? How long have you been there? What did you hear?"

Neil's lip quivered. "Uncle Gordon got hurt. He's gonna die."

"No, son, no, he's not going to die. He has to go see a doctor, but he's not going to die."

"I don't believe you. My mom died."

John put his arm around Neil's shoulders and pulled him close. "I know your mom died. I'm sorry about that, but you have to realize that not everyone who gets hurt will die. Somebody doesn't always die when International Rescue goes out on a rescue. I want to convince you of that, but I don't know how. You've seen your uncles go out plenty of times and come back without anyone getting killed, or even hurt for that matter. I wish you would believe that."

"Maybe we are sheltering him too much," Jeff remarked.

John gave his father a confused look. "What'd you mean?"

"Well, we've been keeping him away from the business in an effort to calm his fears, but maybe we should be involving him. Perhaps, we should be showing him what we do, how we do it, and most importantly, the safety precautions we take to limit, as much as possible, injury to ourselves and the victims."

"But he's only five."

"I'm not talking about teaching him fly a ship. I'm talking about simple things. Letting him know that we don't go rushing in without thinking things through, explain how our equipment is the best around. Explain that we may not be able to save everyone, but we do save a lot of people. Explain that sometimes we do get hurt, but it's usually minor. Maybe some of his fears are because he doesn't have all the information that he needs."

John thought for a moment. "I suppose that's possible. Trying to protect him from the information doesn't seem to be working. I guess I should change tactics. I just wish I knew what was best for him."

Jeff gave him a reassuring smile. "That's part of being a parent. All kids are different. So, if one tactic isn't working, you keep changing until you find what does."

"I have so much to learn."

Jeff laughed. "You can't expect to be a perfect parent in just a few weeks…or a few years for that matter."

John looked at his son. "Come on, Neil. I think it's time we start talking about my job."

Neil looked doubtful but took his father's hand and walked out of the room with him.

TB TB TB TB

Two hours later, Virgil and Scott sat in Gordon's private room at the local hospital. It took a few calls and a pre-payment in cash to get the top back specialist and a promise that all medical files would be turned over to them when they left.

A police officer joined them to get a statement about the assault from Gordon. "So, Captain Beaman admitted that he sabotaged his own ship?"

"He didn't say it in those exact words, but he said that he needed the money, and that he had carefully planned it to leak just enough to call for help."

"And that's when Mr. Arnold started the physical fight."

"Yeah, he was pretty upset that Captain Beaman had risked their lives for money."

Virgil shook his head and muttered. "I can't say that I blame him."

The police officer gave him a stern look. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it. You'll have to answer your own charges in a minute."

Virgil was about to argue, but Scott cleared his throat to get his attention. He shook his head slightly, and Virgil caught his brother's unspoken meaning and shut his mouth, but he wasn't happy about it. Scott had to force himself not to laugh at Virg's face. It reminded him of little Christina when she didn't get her way.

The officer continued his questioning of Gordon. "So, after Mr. Arnold began fighting, what did you do?"

"I tried to break it up. Professor Wampler tried to help me. I also called my colleague to help us."

"Did you punch either combatant?"

Gordon shook his head. "I didn't, but I can't speak for Professor Wampler. Things were kind of hectic, and I couldn't watch his every move."

"So, just what did you do to 'break it up'?"

"Well, mainly, we tried to keep them separated by dragging them away from each other by their arms. Unfortunately, one or both would slip away, and we'd have to start over."

"And when were you hit?"

"I don't know if I can say when it happened. It's not like I was paying attention to the clock. All I know is I had the captain by his arms, and I heard Lee yell again. I figured that he was coming at the captain again, but before I could do anything, the captain turned us in a circle. I didn't even really register that I was punched. All I knew was that my back exploded into pain. My legs got weak and I collapsed."

"Must have been a hell of a punch," the cop stated snidely, and then muttered. "Or you're nothing but a wuss."

"It wasn't no love tap. I can tell you," Gordon angrily spat. "Not that it's any of your business, but I broke my back years ago. It took time and a lot of hard work to get back on my feet. Now, you may…"

"Gordon," Scott interrupted. "I think that's enough."

Gordon forced himself to calm down. "Right, anyways, it _was_ a heavy blow. It might not have brought a normal person to their knees, but they sure would be hurting…badly."

Virgil shook his head. "I saw the blow. It was bad. I think it would've taken anybody down. Not only did he punch you, but he also used his forward momentum to add more power to it."

The police officer looked at Virgil. "You saw the attack but didn't do anything to stop it?"

"I had just entered the pod. I was too far away to stop it."

"So, let me get this straight. You felt guilty that you didn't stop your colleague from being hurt. So, you attacked Captain Beaman and Lee Arnold."

"It wasn't like that. Yes, I was upset that Gordon was hurt. I was also angry that the two guys fighting were totally oblivious to the fact they had hurt him. They just kept on fighting. I decided to put a stop to it. Yes, I hit them, and I would do it again in the same situation."

"So, are you willing to sign a confession to the assault and battery charge?"

Virgil rolled his eyes. "No, I won't. Because in my book, it wasn't assault and battery. I was stopping the two from hurting more people. It was justifiable."

"And the wrongful imprisonment charge? Was it also justifiable?"

"Of course it was. I had a lot of things going on. I had to take care of my colleague, report the incident to my superior and call for medical aid all the while flying my ship. I didn't have time to deal with the two idiots, and I couldn't trust that the professor could keep them apart since the two of them couldn't keep them apart. Any person with a lick of common sense can understand that. And, technically, to make sure your report is accurate; it was the professor that tied them up, not me."

"On your orders though. Maybe he was afraid that you would become violent with him if he didn't obey you."

Even though Virgil tried to keep his voice neutral, it still held and edge of sarcasm. "Man, you are really out there."

"We'll have to see about that," the cop commented. "But in the mean time, I'll need your full name and address."

"I'm sorry but that information is classified."

The police officer cocked his eyebrow. "You're name is classified? Isn't that a bit far-fetched?"

Virgil sighed. "Everyone knows that International Rescue does not reveal the names of their operatives. It's part of our confidentiality policy. It's also security. Not only us, but our friends and family could be in danger if our identities were known. There are some people out there that would do anything to get our secrets. You understand?"

"What I understand is that you are blowing a lot of hot air and impeding my investigation. I think maybe we better finish this at the station."

Scott had enough. He stood and pulled himself up to his full height. "Just what is your problem, officer?"

"My problem is I have two victims here, one with a concussion and a sprained wrist, the other with a broken nose and broken rib, and my prime suspect is blocking me at every turn."

"What? He's not blocking you. They've both told you what happened. Lee Arnold threw the first punch at Captain Beaman. Who knows which of those injuries were accrued during that altercation? The only thing my colleagues are guilty of is trying to stop two jackasses from hurting themselves or others. That's not assault. Why can't you get that through your thick skull?"

"Maybe because I find their corroborating stories a bit too nifty."

"Is it really that, or do you want to make a name for yourself by arresting an International Rescue operative?"

"I don't think it will come to that," a voice spoke from the door.

The police officer spun around. "Captain Martin…"

"How is it going, Officer Gregory?"

"It would be better if I was getting some cooperation from the accused."

"He is cooperating," Scott angrily declared. "You just don't like what he is saying."

Captain Martin held his hand up to silence Scott but addressed his officer. "You have three men in this room. Which one is the accused and what is he being accused of?"

Officer Gregory pointed at Virgil. "This one that they call Virgil is accused of assault and battery and wrongful imprisonment, but I'm still not convinced that the injured one wasn't more involved than they are letting on."

The captain nodded. "I see. From the way you are hounding these gentlemen, I'm assuming you have a sworn complaint with corroborating evidence."

The officer stammered as he tried to defend himself. "I haven't gotten the complaint…yet. As far as corroborating evidence, I was witness to them being tied up myself, and I'm pretty confident that their injuries were at the hands of these gentlemen."

"Have you even talked to your victims?"

"Not yet, sir. I'm going to get their statement once I finish here."

"I would say you put the cart before the horse, wouldn't you?"

"Excuse me, Captain? I just wanted to…"

"To make a name for yourself? Maybe get a little payback?" the captain finished the sentence for him. "Well, let me help you out officer. I have talked to your alleged victims. Neither one is planning on pressing charges. In fact, Mr. Arnold confessed that he lost his temper, and Virgil, here, was only doing what he had to in order to regain control. So, now what?"

"Well…uhm…I guess…er…I suppose that…maybe I should…"

The captain got right in his officer's face. "Maybe you should close the investigation."

"But sir, I haven't finished yet."

Captain Martin's face reddened in anger at the blatant defiance of his order. "It is finished because _I_ finished it. You listen to me and listen good, Officer Gregory. This is an open and shut case. International Rescue was called in on a rescue. Two of the victims got into a fight which led to the injury of a bystander. Unfortunately, the only way to halt the altercation was the use of limited force. As a police officer, you know that there are some cases like that. Now, you need to put an end to this shameful vendetta you have engaged in. You can go speak with Captain Beaman and Lee Arnold to verify my claim that they are not pressing charges. Then I want the closed case file on my desk first thing in the morning. Am I clear, Officer?"

Officer Gregory snapped to attention. "Yes, sir."

"But first, I think an apology is in order."

The officer's face flushed, and he looked like he was about to argue. Seeing his captain's face though, caused him to reconsider. In a low, but still angry voice, he simply said, "My apologies."

"Dismissed," the captain spoke sharply and the officer left the room in a huff.

The captain shook his head and turned back to the brothers. "I'm really sorry about that. When I heard he was on this case, I knew we'd have trouble."

"Why is that?" Scott asked.

"About three years ago, his mother was on vacation in Switzerland. She was involved in an avalanche that your organization responded to."

"Let me guess, she didn't make it."

The captain nodded. "And even though the autopsy showed that she died in the first slide and there was nothing you could've done to save her, he still held you a grudge. He probably figured he could get his revenge by arresting one of you and disgracing you in the media."

"I remember that rescue," Virgil spoke up. "It was a highly fatal slide."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, there was over an eighty percent fatality rate. It was bad. Believe it or not, we are bothered when we lose so many, but we're forced to put things in prospective. We can't save them all."

Captain Martin nodded. "I know. I have those feelings myself at times, but when you lose a loved one…"

"We all lose loved ones," Virgil snapped. "If not to a natural disaster like the avalanche, it's to a mechanical accident, car, train, a machine in the workplace, or the loss could be due to a physical ailment like cancer, heart disease, or even childbirth."

"Okay, Virg, settle down," Scott instructed.

"Why should I?" Virgil continued his rant. "Why do people assume they are the only one who suffers in this crazy, mixed up world?"

"I take it you lost a loved one," the captain responded.

Virgil intended to reply, but Scott beat him to it. "Like he said, everyone loses loved ones. To go into specifics could compromise our identities."

"You're right. I shouldn't have asked. Look, please accept my apologies for Officer Gregory. Normally, he is a very good cop, professional, level-headed. I'm his commanding officer, and as far as I am concerned, the case is closed. You are free to go as soon as the doctor releases you."

"Thank you," Scott answered.

"No, thank you, not just for this rescue, but for all the ones you go out on. Your job is not an easy one. It takes a special person to do it. You are that."

Scott just gave a small smile and nod at the compliment. The captain returned the nod and then left the room just as the doctor entered.

"Hello Mr. Smith, how are you feeling?"

"Gordon, please call me Gordon. I guess it's a little better. My legs aren't tingling anymore, but they are still aching."

"Well, I do have good news for you. The x-rays don't show any new damage to your spine. From the looks of the scars, you really did a job on it the first time around."

Gordon grimaced. "You're not telling me anything new. I lived it. So, why do my legs hurt if there's no new damage?"

"The MRI shows some slight swelling around the lower part of the spine. I'm going to give you an anti-inflammatory drug and a pain killer. Once the swelling goes down, you should be fine."

"How long will that take?"

The doctor shrugged. "A rough estimate would be between three days to a week depending on how much you move around. If it goes any longer, I would recommend you see your own doctor."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"My pleasure, it's not often that I get to treat a celebrity."

Gordon laughed lightly. "A celebrity? I don't think so."

"Don't sell yourself short. Most people hold International Rescue in high regards." The doctor continued speaking as he headed to the door. "The nurse will be in shortly with the medications, as well as the medical records, the x-rays, and the final bill. I know you already made a cash payment, but I don't know how much. Who knows? We may owe you a refund. Anyways, once you settle up either way with the finance office, you are free to go."

Scott offered his hand to the doctor. "I'll take care of it. Thanks for everything. I know this was a crazy case."

The doctor shook Scott's hand and then quickly shook Virgil's and Gordon's. "Keep up the good work, and be safe." Then, he left the room.

Sure enough, the nurse entered a few minutes later. She was a different one from earlier. "It looks like you will be leaving us soon."

Gordon smiled at the pretty young nurse. "That's what they tell me, but with nurses as pretty as you, I may have to think up a new ailment."

She returned the smile. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Of course, he does," Virgil teased. "It's his way of compensating for his lack of charm, debonair, and good looks."

Gordon narrowed his eyes. "That may be, but you should see my older brothers…talk about lack of charm…"

Scott broke in before they could escalate. "That's enough, guys." Addressing the nurse, he asked. "The doctor said you would have the bill?"

The nurse shifted some papers and pulled one out. "Yes, here it is."

Scott took it from her and looked it over. "Everything looks in order. I'll go take care of it." Glaring at his brothers, he ordered, "Behave."

Virgil gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

The nurse went about her duties. "Just a couple of questions here. Are you allergic to any medications?"

"Not that I know of."

"Are you going to be driving or operating heavy equipment in the next few hours?"

"Only if you'll go for a ride with me."

The nurse blushed slightly. "You don't give up, do you?"

"Not when it's something I want."

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm married."

"Darn, what's the old saying? All the good ones are taken."

The nurse opened an alcohol swab and wiped a small section of Gordon's arm. "Okay, this is a painkiller. The doctor ordered the first dose to be an injection. It'll get into your system faster." Once the shot was given, she handed Gordon a bottle of pills. "This is the anti-inflammatory. You are to take two pills every six hours until the bottle is empty. However, it can cause stomach irritations, so if you get too nauseous and especially if you cough up blood or have blood in your stool, stop these pills immediately and contact your doctor." She handed him a second bottle. "This is your pain pills. You take one or two pills every eight hours as needed for pain. This is what I just gave you, so don't take any more for the next eight hours. Now, these can make you drowsy, so be careful until you know how you'll react. Any questions?"

"Nope, I think I have it. These every six hours, and these every eight if I need them."

"Very good, now, I just have a couple of forms for you to sign, and then you'll be on your way."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Virgil interrupted. "What kind of forms? There wasn't supposed to be any records left here."

The nurse shook her head. "That may be fine for the examination and the tests run here at the hospital, but the dispersal of medication, especially pain pills, we have to have a signed form stating that you received it and that we've explained the possible side effects."

"But I can't sign my full name. It won't be legal."

"The doctor said for you to just sign it 'International Rescue operative'. These forms are basically to cover our ass if you have a bad reaction and try to sue the hospital. So, don't sue us, and these papers will never come to light."

"Maybe you shouldn't take the pills, I'm sure the base doctor can provide you with some," Virgil suggested.

Gordon thought for a moment. "I think it will be all right. These are already made up, and I won't even be signing my name. It's only for their protection."

Virgil rolled his eyes. "Well, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when Scott finds out."

"You're too much of a worry wart. It'll turn you an early gray," Gordon joked as he signed the papers.

"I'll tell you what's going to turn me an early gray. It's your penchant for injuries."

"My injuries? I seem to recall that you've had your share."

"Yeah, well, you…" Virgil began only to be interrupted by the nurse.

She took the papers from Gordon. "God, you two bicker like me and my sister. As fascinating as watching this interaction is, I do have other patients to care for." She handed him a file and an envelope with the x-rays. "Here are your records and you can get dressed. I'll call for a wheelchair to discharge you."

"I don't need a wheelchair."

"Like I haven't heard that before. Let's forget the fact that you have a back injury or that you're hopped up on pain killers, but it is the doctor's orders. You wouldn't want me to lose my job, now would you?" She batted her eyelashes at him.

"All right, all right, you win."

"I always do," the nurse laughed as she left the room.

Gordon had already changed back into his uniform by the time Scott had returned from the financial office a bit later. "Are you ready to go?"

"As soon as my chariot arrives," Gordon giggled.

Scott raised an eyebrow and looked at Virgil who just shrugged. "They gave him a painkiller shot. I think they made it extra strong. It started taking affect a couple of minutes ago. Now, apparently everything is funny."

"Oh great," Scott sighed as he watched his younger brother shake his pill bottles to the tune of "La Cucaracha".

"You're telling me. I have to fly home with him." Virgil reached over and grabbed the pills. "Give me those before you lose them."

Gordon's bottom lip came out in a pout. It only lasted a few seconds. He then occupied himself by humming "Yellow Submarine".

Scott laughed. "Maybe we should strap him in the medical bay."

Virgil shook his head. "I think I'd rather have him where I can see him. There's no telling what trouble he could get into."

"There's always sedation."

"On top of what he's already got? Not a good idea."

"I suppose, but…" Scott began, but the attendant with the wheelchair appeared at the door.

"Is this the room with the discharge?"

"Yes, it is. Our resident John Lennon is the one being discharged." Virgil moved to Gordon's bedside. "Come on, Gordon. Time to get in the chair."

Gordon slid off the bed, and took the one step to the chair. Unfortunately, he started to swivel on his heels until the pain in his back flared. "Damn, that'll bring ya back to earth in a hurry."

Virgil shook his head. "Pain meds or not, you need to take it easy."

"Did you injure it more? Do I need to get the doctor again?" Scott asked in concern.

Gordon carefully turned himself by picking up his feet and moving them and gently sat down. "No, it's okay. The pain is already starting to ebb. I think it was just the movement that caused it to hurt."

"Are you sure? I don't want to take any chances with your health."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Brains can do a new set of x-rays once we get home if you want to be sure."

Scott laughed. "It's not me you have to worry about. Once we're back home, you will be in reach of the commander. You know how protective he is. He'll have every test possible run on your back and then some."

Gordon groaned. "Don't remind me. I don't know why he insisted I stop here. He'll want all the tests redone."

This time Virgil answered. "Aw, give him a break. It's his way of showing concern for us. It's better than the alternative."

"You're right, but I know he's going to ground me, and I don't want anyone else handling my bird."

Scott shrugged. "Don't worry about that now. You don't even know when Thunderbird Four will be called out again."

"Are you settled?" The attendant asked. "Are we ready to go?"

Gordon nodded. "Let's rock and roll."

The group headed to Thunderbird Two. The two older Tracys got their brother settled in the med bay. Even though Virgil wanted Gordon in the cockpit with him, Gordon vetoed the idea. He declared that he was going to nap on the way home. Virgil dropped Scott off where he had locked down Thunderbird One. One kept pace with Two for most of the way home. About twenty minutes before landing, Scott went ahead so he could quickly debrief their father and be ready to help Gordon if necessary.

While Scott and Jeff waited outside Thunderbird Two's hanger for it to shut down, John and Neil joined them. Scott did nothing to hide the surprise on his face. When neither his father nor brother acknowledged his surprise, he pulled John aside. "Do you really think it's a good idea to have Neil here?"

John shrugged. "I'm trying a different tactic. Obviously, trying to shield him from the dangers of International Rescue hasn't lessened his fears. So, maybe facing them head on and showing him how we deal with them will help."

"I don't know. It seems risky."

"I think that goes hand in hand with being a parent. I haven't second guessed myself any more than I have this past month."

"Maybe someday I'll know that feeling."

"I hope so. Even though parenting presents its own problems, it also has its share of indescribable joy."

The green light came on indicating it was now safe to enter the hanger. The group headed in. Virgil had already opened the door for them. Neil hesitated as the approached the ship. John put a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Neil nodded but still looked unsure but entered the ship. By the time they reached the medical bay, Gordon was already on his feet.

Gordon smiled when he saw Neil. "Hey there, buddy, isn't it a bit late for you to be up?"

Neil looked up and waited for his father to answer. "He wanted to stay up and see how you're doing."

"That's so nice. I'm okay as you can see."

"Are you really?" Jeff questioned. "How's the pain?"

"It's okay. The pain meds are taking care of most of it. It only flares up when I make a sudden move or prolonged movement."

"That's good to hear, but I still want Brains to look you over."

"Aw, Dad, that's not necessary. I just want to go to bed."

"And you can, _after_ Brains checks you out. He's already waiting for you in the medical suite. So, let's get going. The sooner you get this done, the sooner you'll get to bed."

"All right, but you don't have to walk me. Neil can do that, can't you, little man?"

Neil smiled and nodded to Gordon. Jeff could sense that this was an important step for his grandson. So, he acquiesced. "Okay, that'll work. I'll check in with Brains in a bit."

John looked at his son. "Do you mind if I join you and your uncle?"

Neil nodded. "You can come."

Brains seemed to instinctively understand what was going on so he included Neil in the examination process. "N-N-Neil, can you place the th-th-thermometer in his ear and press the b-button."

"Aw, Brains, I don't have a fever. I'm not sick. I just hurt my back."

"It's p-p-procedure."

Neil did as he was told and showed the thermometer to Brains.

"Do I have a temperature?" Gordon asked.

Neil looked to Brains first who nodded his head. So, he answered. "No, you're normal."

"That's debatable," John teased.

Neil gave his father a confused look, who just laughed and told him. "I was joking with him. He knows that I didn't mean anything negative by it."

Neil nodded even though he wasn't too sure he really understood it. He had been living with his father for a month now, and he was still not really sure of the family dynamics. Brains rescued him by asking, "I need to see the d-d-doctor's report. It's on my desk. Could you g-g-get it for me?"

Neil handed him the folder. "Here it is."

"Thank you, N-N-Neil."

Neil smiled. He liked Brains. Even though he seemed a little strange with all his different projects, he always treated Neil like an equal. He didn't talk down to him just because he was a kid, and he took the time to explain things when Neil asked questions. Brains enjoyed it because, even at a young age, Neil was showing a big interest in the scientific world, and Brains wanted to cultivate it.

Brains held the x-ray up to the light and nodded his head. He then looked at the MRI pictures.

"Is Uncle Gordon going to be okay?"

Brains patted his shoulder. "He's going to be just f-f-fine. I agree with the d-doctor at the hospital. Once the sw-sw-swelling goes down, he'll be back to n-normal. Since they gave you the sh-shots at the hospital, there's not m-m-much more that I can do h-here."

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Now, that we've all reached that conclusion, can I go to my room and finally get some sleep?"

Jeff entered the medical suite at that moment. "He's well enough to leave?"

The adults laughed lightly, and Neil nodded. Brains answered. "I th-th-think he'll recuperate better in his own r-r-room."

"Thank goodness someone agrees with me," Gordon mumbled. "Now, if we could just follow through with it."

Jeff shook his head. "Is this your way of saying: shut up and let you go to your room?"

Gordon placed a hand on his chest and gave an innocent look. "I would never tell my father to shut up, but since you asked, the answer is yes."

"Okay, okay," Jeff acquiesced. "We'll get you settled, and then we'll all get some rest."

"Finally," Gordon slid off the bed and headed for the door.

"Keep your w-watch with you at all t-t-times, in case you need to call for h-h-help." Brains ordered. "And I'll w-w-want to see you again in the morning."

"I always do, and I'll be here," Gordon replied as he shuffled out of the room.

"I'll come with you," Jeff stated. "While you get settled, you can give me a quick rundown on what happened while it's still fresh in your mind."

Through the open door, John thought he heard Gordon remark, "It's gonna be fresh for a long time." He turned to his son. "Well, son, it's late. You've seen your Uncle Gordon. Brains told you he would be fine. So, I think it's time to head to bed ourselves."

"Okay," Neil turned to Brains. "Can I come back tomorrow morning?"

"It's all r-r-right with me, but we will have to ask G-G-Gordon. It will be up to h-h-him."

Neil grinned. "I'll be back." John and his son left for their own quarters. Brains shook his head in amusement. He straightened the few things in the sickbay and headed to his lab. There were a couple of things he wanted to check on before he retired for the night.

TBC

Author's Note - Well, maybe a new approach will help Neil. Poor Virgil, not everyone can like IR. Good thing the police captain stepped in.

Thank you to all our faithful readers. We hope you enjoyed this chapter. Also thank you to our beta and friend, Lillehafrue.


	7. John goes on a rescue

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 7 – John goes on a rescue

The next month moved along smoothly. Gordon's back healed fairly quickly under Brains' and Neil's tender loving care. After three weeks, he was cleared for duty. Which was good since Alan and Tin-Tin's family vacation was coming up and Jeff really didn't want to postpone it again. International Rescue had four calls during those three weeks, once to a forest fire, once to a train wreck, once to an earthquake relief, and lastly to a missing child search.

During those times, John involved Neil more in the operation by having him with him in the Communications Control Center, or the Triple C, as it was now called. He finally seemed to be relaxing some when it came to the rescues. He was sad when the death reports came in from the earthquake call, but he held it together better than before. On their walk afterwards, Neil confided to John that when someone dies on a rescue, it brings back the memories of his mother's death, and the feelings of helplessness he suffered during that time. John was aware that it would take time and careful guidance to help Neil deal with these feelings. He just hoped that he was up to the task.

It was early afternoon two weeks later, and Gordon was in the pool giving Neil a swimming lesson. Neil was enjoying the time with his uncle alone while Christina was away with Alan and Tin-Tin. John sat poolside watching his son. He was pleased with the progress Neil was making. He wasn't surprised though. Over the past two months, he had learned that his son was a very bright child who picked up things very quickly, almost bordering on gifted. As much as John would like to see his son follow in his footsteps into space, at this point, Neil's interest seems to run toward nurturing tendencies. The care that he gave Gordon during his recovery showed a level of maturity well beyond his years, but then in other areas, like playing and fighting with his young cousin, he acts like the little boy he really is. John knew that it would be a fine line to walk, encouraging his interest, yet not expecting too much for a boy his age.

John's musings were interrupted by the sound of the alarm. He took off at a run to the Triple C, confident that Gordon would get Neil out of the pool before reporting to the Command Center. Once he reached the comm. Center, he answered the incoming call. A frantic voice explained the problem in French. John replied, also in French, assuring him the International Rescue would do their best to help him. He then contacted his father in the lounge. "Okay, Father, the call in from the International Space Station Number Three. Apparently, a maintenance crew was outside working on a relay satellite, and a tether came loose. The worker floated off before anyone else could grab him. The station commander wants us to come up and retrieve him."

Jeff shook his head. "I tried to warn them about safety issues. Those maintenance men should have been equipped with maneuvering jet packs or at least a double safety harnesses. I don't know why the space agency came to us ex-astronauts for ideas if they were just going to ignore them."

John raised an eyebrow but let his dad rant for a moment. He knew that he would get back on topic quickly enough which he did.

"Well, it's a moot point now. How much air does he have? And do we have his coordinates?"

"According to the commander, he has a little over three hours of air, and I don't have exact coordinates because, as you know, without a gravitational object to pull him, he will continue to float away. Now, I do have his trajectory, but my scanners can't locate him from here. I need the more sensitive scanners on Three and a closer scanning radius from space."

Jeff sighed. "I know you haven't gone out since Neil came, but with Alan gone, I'm going to need you. Take Scott as co-pilot and Virgil for the rescue."

John nodded. "No problem, just give me a minute to explain to Neil."

Gordon looked over his father's shoulder. "I left him in the kitchen with Grandma. I can stay with him while you're out if you want."

"Thanks, meet me there, and Dad, have Scott and Virgil meet me in three."

"Okay, but don't take too long."

"F-A-B, Triple C out."

John met his son in the kitchen. "Neil, son, I have to go out on a rescue."

Neil gave him a confused look. "But you work here, with the computers."

"That's only part of my job. Today, I have to fly Thunderbird Three in space. Uncle Gordon will be here with you. You can listen in on the rescue if you want, just like when I'm here. He can answer any questions you have."

"I don't want you to go."

John ruffled his hair. "I know you don't, but it's my job, and it's important. Now, I have to go. I have to hurry." He gave Neil a quick hug. "I love you, buddy. See you soon."

Gordon placed a hand on Neil's shoulder as they watched John hurry away. "So, how about it, big guy? Do you want to listen to the rescue? We can probably even hear your dad during the take-off if we hurry."

Neil shook his head. "No, I want to go to the beach."

Gordon knew that Neil was upset by his dad going out on this first rescue so he wasn't surprised at this request, but he didn't let it show. The beach was the place that Neil liked to go to when he was upset. "Sure, not a problem. We can build a sand castle together, or collect shells."

Neil nodded his head and took Gordon's hand as they left the villa.

Meanwhile, John entered Thunderbird Three and found both his brothers dressed and ready of go. He sat down in the pilot's chair and started going through the pre-flight checklist with Scott's help. Within a matter of minutes they were ready for liftoff. He announced to his brothers, "Engaging thrusters in three…two…one…" He felt the powerful rumble as the engines lit up and propelled Three through the roundhouse and into the bright blue sky. Once they cleared Earth's atmosphere, he turned the controls over to Scott. "Our projected course should intercept with the worker's trajectory in approximately one hour and forty-five minutes. I'm going to change into my uniform. I've got the auto-pilot set. I shouldn't be long. Just give me a yell if something changes."

"F-A-B," Scott replied simply, and John left the cockpit.

Sure enough, it was only a matter of minutes before John returned. He contacted the Triple C expecting to find Gordon to be manning it, but was surprised to find Brains there instead. His heart leapt into his throat. He rambled nervously. "Brains? What are you doing there? I thought Gordon and Neil were going to monitor the rescue from there. Did something happen? Where are they? Is Neil all right?"

"Calm down, John," Scott interrupted. "You're asking questions, but you're not waiting for an answer. I'm sure Neil is fine. Right, Brains?"

John shook his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Brains, please explain."

"N-N-Neil did not want to m-monitor the rescue. So, Gordon t-t-took him down to the beach. Your f-f-father asked me to man this st-st-station."

John nodded. "Thanks, Brains. I guess I'll give Gordon a call on his watch."

"You're w-w-welcome, I will be here if you need anyth-th-thing."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Three out." John disconnected that call and switch to the direct feed to Gordon's watch. "Thunderbird Three calling Gordon."

Gordon's face appeared. "Gordon here, is there a problem John?"

"No, I just wanted to check on Neil."

Gordon smirked. "Geez, John, you haven't been gone that long. Talk about being a mother hen."

"Excuse me, Gordon," John replied testily. "It is my first rescue since I got Neil. Forgive me for being concerned about _my son_, especially after I found out you took him to the beach. As a father yourself, I would've thought you'd understand."

"Chill, John, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it," Scott added his own opinion.

"No, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just trying to lighten the mood, but I guess it fell flat. I'm sorry."

John sighed. "No, _I'm_ sorry. I guess I'm just as antsy about this rescue as Neil is. How _is_ he doing? Why aren't you guys at Triple C?"

"Well, obviously he's worried about you being gone, but he's trying to hide it. He said he didn't want to monitor the rescue. I didn't think it would be good to try to force him. I'm trying to take my cues from him. He asked to come to the beach so that's where we are. I know it has a calming effect on him. Right now, he's hunting seashells."

"Okay, thanks, I'll check back in later, and I promise not to bit your head off."

Gordon laughed. "Whatever. I'll talk to you later. Safe flying."

About an hour later, Scott excitedly exclaimed. "Eureka, I have him on the scanner."

John's fingers flew over his control panel. "Great, I need his trajectory and speed to calculate our course."

"Okay, sending that information to your consul now."

"Got it. Let's see…our intercept time should be…forty-one minutes. Who's going out? You or Virgil?"

"I will. Virgil will be manning the airlock."

"Does Virg know that?"

Scott smirked. "He will when I tell him."

John laughed. "Bet you five bucks that he's already suited up by the time you get down there."

Scott shook his head as he undid his safety restraints. "No bet. I'm heading down there. Let me know when we are in range."

"F-A-B," John waited until Scott was at the lift door to call to him again. "And Scott, break it to Virg gently."

"Did you ever think that Virg may be happy to let me do the spacewalk?"

"Hell, no, he's like you. He'd rather be in the thick of things rather than sitting on the sideline."

"Then I guess it's a good thing that I'm the field commander."

"Yep, right up your alley…bossy."

"Oh shut up, and pay attention to your flying."

"Yes, sir…anything you say sir."

Scott rolled his eyes and left the cockpit.

Another twenty-five minutes later, John contacted Scott. "We're getting into range. I'm decreasing speed and going to maneuvering thrusters only."

"F-A-B, alert me when we are within two hundred yards of the victim."

"Will do, boss man."

"Don't push it, John."

"All right, all right, I'll let you know when we are two hundred yards from the victim. It shouldn't be too long."

"I'll be ready."

Twelve minutes later John was back on the comm. "The victim is two hundred yards off the starboard side. I've cut all thrusters, and we are now drifting towards him."

"Okay, I'm suited up. I have the thruster pack on as well as my safety line. Virgil is also suited up but he's going to remain in the open airlock. Go ahead and open it up, Virg."

"F-A-B, opening airlock."

John kept quiet as he monitored the exchange between his two brothers. It always amazed him how well those two worked together. It's almost like they could read each other's mind. He knew that it was the combination of their personalities. Something none of the other's possessed. Alan was too much like Scott that they would be butting heads all the time. Gordon's flippant attitude would drive Scott up a tree. John knew that he, himself, would have trouble standing up to Scott, even when the situation warranted it, and he wasn't close enough to any of his other brothers to work closely like that. Alan and Gordon were close enough like Scott and Virgil, but their joint efforts tended to run towards the ultimate practical joke.

John smiled when he heard Scott declare, "Got him. I have a hold of what's left of his lifeline. Virg, start reeling in my line while I reel in his."

"F-A-B, reeling in your line."

A little over five minutes later, Scott was back on the comm. to John. "We're both aboard John, and the airlock is closed. Let's get out of here."

"Which way am I heading? Back to the space station? Or planetside?"

"Head back to Earth. The victim is pretty shook up and swears that he will never set foot on a space station again. We can drop him off at the International Space Service command center, and they can deal with all this between themselves."

"F-A-B, calculating route and time to ISS command center. Time of arrival is one hour and thirty-four minutes. I'll let them know to be ready for a drop. Do you think you can get him in the basket to be winched down? I mean if he's really freaked…"

"Virg is taking care of him. I think he intends to give him a mild anti-anxiety shot. That should help matters. I hope the victim cooperates."

"I hope so too. Let me know if you need help back there."

"I will, and let me know when we reach the drop off point."

"F-A-B, John out."

The trip back to earth was uneventful. Once they dropped the victim off, Scott joined John in the cockpit. "So, how did it feel your first time back out?"

"It felt great. There's an adrenalin rush out in the field that you just don't get listening to the radio, but I sure will be glad to get back to Neil."

"Spoken like a true father."

"Just wait, your time is coming."

Scott laughed out loud. "First you have to meet a girl, and in case you haven't noticed there's not a big selection on the island: Grandma who is related by blood, not to mention that she's…"

"Ah, ah, ah," John interrupted. "It's not nice to reveal a woman's age, even if she is family."

"Okay, let's just say she's old enough to be my grandmother. The other option is Tin-Tin. She may be closer to my age, but she also happens to be my brother's wife. Which would you chose?"

"Don't forget about Lady Penelope. I've always had a feeling that she has her hat tipped for you."

"Penny is a beautiful, intelligent woman, but a bit high-falutin for me. Could you imagine that kind of life? Especially with Parker around? You could try to be amorous, and he would want to serve tea."

"Amorous?" John laughed. "With that kind of vocabulary, you would fit into that life."

Scott shook his head. "Nope, I need a more down to earth woman. Wouldn't you?"

"I guess there's only one option then."

"Oh yeah, what?"

"Start a torrid love affair with Kyrano and become Tin-Tin's step-father."

Scott rolled his eyes. "I think I'll handle my own dating issues, thank you."

"Just trying to help you out."

"Well, don't"

John laughed. "You're so easy to rile."

Scott muttered under his breath, but John still heard him. "John? Who would've believed it? Alan or Gordon, hell, yes. Virgil, maybe. But John? No way. He's supposed to be the sane one."

John continued laughing. "Come on big brother, we're almost home.

TB TB TB TB TB

Gordon and Neil were heading back to the villa when they spotted John on the path heading to the beach.

Neil let out a squeal of delight. "Daddy!" He raced up the path.

John caught him in his arms and swung him around. "Hey there, were you a good boy while I was gone?"

Neil nodded and showed him a shell. "I found this for you. It took a long time."

John studied the shell that his son held. It was obviously part of a bi-valve about the size of his palm. The exterior was cream colored with thin strips of burnt crimson circling it along the growth line. He took the shell in one hand and looked at the interior. The nacre coating shimmered with blues and greens as he turned it in the light.

"Do you like it?"

"I sure do. It's beautiful."

Neil pointed to the interior of the shell. "It's shiny."

"I see. Do you know what kind of shell it is?" Neil shook his head, so John continued. "This is part of a bi-valve which means this is only half of the house for the animal."

"What animal?"

Gordon joined them about that time. "There's a lot of sea creatures that live in those kind of shells, clams, oysters, scallops…"

"Leave it to the human fish to have a complete rundown on mollusk life," John teased.

Gordon shrugged. "It _is_ my specialty, just like you know the stars, constellations, planets, nebulas…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but even I know that not all mollusks have the mother-of-pearl layer."

Neil furrowed his brow. "What's that?"

John ran his finger along the inside of the shell. "It's what makes this part shiny. It's called nacre, but most people call it mother-of-pearl because it's what oysters make pearls from."

Neil also ran his finger along the shell. "So, it's an oyster shell?"

Gordon answered that question. "Maybe, if you want, we can look it up. I have some books on marine life native to this area back in my room."

John bounced Neil lightly in his arms. "That sounds great. It never hurts to learn more about your surroundings."

Neil smiled and nodded. "Right."

"So, how did the rescue go?" Gordon changed the subject.

"It was all pretty standard. We went up. We rescued the floating worker. We dropped him off. Then we came home."

"He's not dead?" Neil asked.

John shook his head. Even after two months of living with them and knowing the rescues they went out on, Neil still worried about people dying. "No, he didn't die. He was really scared, but we rescued him."

"That's good," Gordon said.

"You said it," John agreed. Then for his son's sake, he added. "We usually do save them. It's very rare that someone dies."

"That's good," Neil parroted.

John smiled. "That's very good. I can play you the tape of the rescue, so you can see how calm and cool your father is on a rescue."

"Before you do anything," Gordon interrupted. "We'd better head to the dining room. Now that you're back, I'm sure that grandma will have dinner on the table any minute."

As if on cue, Gordon's watch went off, and Scott's face appeared. "Hey, Gordon, grandma says that dinner will be served in ten minutes. So, you'd better get back here."

"F-A-B, we're on our way back."

"Our way? Is John with you?"

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Yes, Scott, John is with me, and before you even ask, Neil is also with me."

"Ha ha, I just needed to know if I had to contact him separately."

John grabbed Gordon's wrist and spoke before Gordon could goad their brother anymore. "We'll be there shortly."

Gordon sighed as the signal to his watch cut out. "You're such a stick in the mud."

"You keep hassling Scott, and you'll _be_ the stick in the mud, and he'll stuff you in head first."

"He'll have to catch me first," Gordon laughed. "Come on. I'm hungry."

John set Neil back down. "Come on, son. Let's race Uncle Gordon to the house."

"We'll win!" Neil yelled as he took off running down the path, with his father right behind him.

"Don't be so sure," Gordon hollered after them, but he kept his pace slow enough to stay just behind them.

Both adults laughed when they reached the villa, and Neil danced around gleefully. "We won. We won."

John patted his son on the back. "Go wash up for dinner." Once he was in the house, he turned to his brother. "Thank you."

"Hey, beating a five-year old in a foot race isn't necessarily something to brag about."

"That's not what I was talking about."

Gordon shrugged. "Let's just say, I know what it's like to be a father."

John simply nodded. "Let's go eat."

TBC

Author's Note - Well, here we are with the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.


	8. Announcement

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 8 – Announcement

Four days later, Alan returned with his family in the early evening. Christina was so tired that they put her to bed right away. Then they joined the rest of the family out by the pool to enjoy a light snack and the setting sun. Alan was disappointed that he missed out on the space rescue, and the rest of the family laughed at the pictures and the described antics that Christina provided on their vacation.

After a while, Alan cleared his throat. "We did one more thing while we were away, and if I don't break the news to you, Christina will be blabbing it tomorrow morning."

"So, what else did you guys do?" Gordon asked.

"We went to Tin-Tin's ultrasound appointment."

Silence descended over the group as they shifted their looks between the pair.

Scott was the first one to find his voice. "Ultrasound? As in a new little Tracy running around the island?"

Tin-Tin laughed. "Well, it'll be a while before there's running."

There were hearty congratulations given to the couple with slaps on the back for Alan and hugs for Tin-Tin. Alan held his hands up to try to quiet the crowd. "There is one more thing."

The group exchanged concerned looks. "Everything is okay, isn't it?" Virgil asked.

Alan nodded. "Yeah, so far everything looks fine."

Tin-Tin laid a couple of ultrasound pictures on the table. "For both of them," she said quietly.

"Both of them?" Gordon sputtered. "You're pregnant with twins?"

Tin-Tin nodded and there was another round of congratulations as the pictures got passed around the group. Questions also flew around the group.

"How far along are you?"

"How long have you known?"

"Was it safe for you to travel?"

"How've you been feeling?"

"Since it's twins, are you showing yet?"

"How's Christina handling the news?"

"When they did the ultrasound, were they able to determine the sex?"

Again, Alan held up his hand to silence the group. "Please, you're asking questions so fast, we can't answer them."

"Yes, please give them a chance to answer," Jeff interjected.

Virgil gave his father a curious look. "Did you know about this?"

Jeff shrugged. "I knew she was pregnant, but I didn't know about twins."

Alan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, that was kind of a shock to us too. Is there a history of twins in our family?"

"Not that I know of, but who knows what's a few generations back."

"Forget history," Scott said in exasperation. "We want details. Come on. Start talking."

Tin-Tin shook her head and laughed. "Okay, okay, I'll try to answer the questions the best that I can. First, I am almost at the end of my first trimester. We've known for a little over two months. I took a home test the day before Christina's birthday. To answer your question about her, she is very excited. She was very quick to tell basically anyone we came into contact with, the waitress that we had, the people around the pool, even the cleaning lady she passed in the hall, that her mommy was having two babies."

"That's why we figured if we were going to break the news ourselves we would have to do it tonight," Alan laughingly added.

Tin-Tin rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I am due in March and, just as with Christina, travel is usually safe until the later months. However, because it _is_ twins, the doctor wants appointments every two weeks during this next trimester, and then he wants me to move nearer to the hospital for the last trimester, just in case. Let's see. What else was asked?"

"How are you feeling?" John supplied.

"Oh yeah, I had some morning sickness early on, but that has eased over the last couple of weeks. I am just barely showing. You can only see the bump when I am naked, and _no_, I'm not going to show you."

"What about the sex of the babies?" Virgil asked. "Boys? Girls? One of each? Or are you going to wait until the birth like Christina?"

Tin-Tin shook her head. "We decided to find out this time around, but at this stage, it's hard to determine the sex. The babies have to be turned just right, and neither one was cooperating."

"Sounds like a Tracy," Scott added.

The group around the kitchen laughed. "I take exception to that," Gordon interjected. "I'm always cooperative."

That statement brought even more laughter along with statements of disbelief.

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

"Do we need to take a trip down memory lane?"

"Ow, you're pulling my leg too hard."

"What bridge are you trying to sell?"

"What dreamland are you living in?"

Gordon shrugged and remarked innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Alan shook his head. "Ha, ha, you're so funny. Anyways, the only thing we do know about the sex is that they will be the same because they are identical."

"They can tell that by an ultrasound?" Virgil asked.

"Apparently, they can in some cases. I don't know about all cases."

"Well, this is really exciting news," Jeff stated. "I'm sure that I can speak for everyone when I say we are happy for you and that we hope everything goes well."

"You're right."

"Absolutely."

"Couldn't have said it better."

"Right on the money."

Alan and Tin-Tin chose to turn in early, and the rest of the family spent the evening in companionable conversation.

TB TB TB TB TB

The next few months went by with relative ease. Neil seemed to finally settle into life on Tracy Island. He stopped the incessant worrying each time that International Rescue went out. He usually sat with John in the Triple C and listened in on the rescues. On the rare occasions that John went out, he would spend the time with his grandfather in Command Control. He was especially pleased when Jeff gave him the title of "Junior Thunderbird."

When International Rescue wasn't out on a rescue, Neil spent the time with his father and uncles. Gordon was very pleased with his progress in the pool. Virgil was teaching him to play the piano. Scott was working with him on the simulators, teaching him the history of flying starting with the old bi-planes. Kyrano was teaching him about the plants and animals native to the island. His father allowed him to stay up late some nights and pointed out the different stars and constellations to him. It seemed unfathomable to him that those stars, some that seemed close enough to touch, were actually billions of miles away. What really blew his mind was the fact that his grandfather actually walked on the moon. When he found that out, he had so many questions that Jeff thought he would never answer them all.

Neil and Christina overcame their jealousy of each other and became steady playmates. They enjoyed swimming (always with adult supervision), building sand castles on the beach, taking walks around the island, and even just playing ball with each other. Unfortunately, that growing relationship cause Neil to worry about what he was going to do once Christina and her parents moved to the mainland in a couple of weeks. What if something happened and they never came back?

Tin-Tin's doctor was very pleased with her progress. She and Alan came home from her latest ultrasound very excited. They found out that they were having twin boys. They made the announcement while having dinner on the patio. The topic of names permeated the conversation around the table.

"So, is one going to be an Alan Jr.?" Gordon asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Alan shook his head. "No, I wouldn't want him to be saddled with the nicknames that come with Juniors."

"I wouldn't poo-poo it too quickly," Virgil remarked. "There have been a lot of great men that were Juniors."

"I know. I know, but that's just how I feel."

Jeff nodded. "That's fine. There's no rule that says you have to name one of them Junior. As you well know, none of my sons are a junior. You're the parents. It's up to you two to decide that names that you like."

"We are planning on sticking with the family tradition of naming them after astronauts."

"Are you picking from one group like Gemini or Apollo? Or are you choosing from any of them?" John questioned.

"We didn't really think about it. It just happens that the two names we chose are both Apollo astronauts."

"So, you've already decided on names," Scott added in. "Are you going to tell us now, or do we have to wait until the babies are born?"

Alan and Tin-Tin exchanged glances, and Alan nodded. "We can tell you now. It's not like it's a big secret. One is going to be named Michael Collins and the other is going to be named Fred Haise."

"Let's see. That's Apollo 11 and Apollo 13," John mused. "Any particular reason why you chose those two names?"

Alan shrugged. "I guess I always felt a little sorry for Michael Collins. He was kind of the unsung hero of the Apollo 11 mission, staying in orbit while Armstrong and Aldrin got the glory of walking on the moon. I mean, they wouldn't have been able to do that if Collins wasn't doing his job too."

"Sounds like you may be associating with him," Scott observed. "Anything you want to get off your chest?"

Alan sighed. "It's not you per se, but sometimes it is irritating watching the after-action news reports that praise you just because you're the one they talk too. Again, without us doing our jobs, rescues wouldn't get done."

Scott nodded. "I'm sorry. I'll try to do better at stressing the team on rescues."

Alan shrugged. "It doesn't matter. They'll say whatever they want. Not your fault."

John jumped in to change the subject. "And Haise?"

"It's dumb."

"By all means, tell us then," Gordon prompted.

"No, you'll laugh."

"You keep making statements like that, it's only going to make him push more," Virgil commented.

"Yeah, you might as well give in now and just tell him," Scott added.

Tin –Tin shook her head. "You might as well tell them, dear. You know they won't stop until you do."

"She's right," John agreed. "It can't be that bad. Nothing can be that bad."

Alan sighed. "All right, all right. Do you guys remember that old movie about _Apollo 13_? About the mission?"

Virgil nodded. "That was so long ago, it's considered a classic now. What about it?"

"Well, the guy who played Haise kind of reminded me of dad." * (see author's note)

The brothers did break out in laughter.

Gordon was the first to speak. "So, you're telling us that you chose the name because an _actor_ reminds you of dad? Not the real astronaut, but an actor?"

"I told you it was dumb."

"Why don't you just name him after the actor?" Virgil wanted to know.

"Or just name him after dad?" Scott questioned.

"You guys just don't understand," Alan declared grumpily.

John tried to placate his brother. "Well, I understand."

Scott gave him an incredulous look. "You do?"

"Well, to a point. I never thought about naming a kid after an actor, but when Kat and I were together and discussing our future, we did discuss ideas for names of children. There's a lot to take in: family names to consider; what's popular or not at the time; combining names to make new ones; names that one person likes, but the other hates. It's not an easy process. I'm just lucky that Kat named him Neil instead of Richard, which was her favorite. I guess maybe that was her way of trying to make up for not telling me about the baby." John's tone took on a slightly disappointed timbre.

Jeff didn't necessarily want to bring up a sore subject, but his curiosity got the better of him. "What would be so bad about Richard?"

John rolled his eyes. "People would constantly shorten Richard to Dick…as in Dick Tracy. No, thank you."

Jeff smirked. "I guess I never thought about that."

"See, another matter to consider when picking names, how well do they mesh with a surname?"

Scott got thoughtful for a moment. "That reminds me of a kid that was in junior high with me. I didn't know him real well, but his name was Robin Hood. Even though he tried to go by 'Rob', when his full name came out, so did the jokes. "Where are your green tights?' 'Did you lose your band of merry men?' "How's the bow practice going?' "How much did you give to Friar Tuck today?' Even the girls that went out with him called themselves the 'Maid Marion' club."

Gordon shook his head but couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice. "That poor guy, his life must have been hell. What were his parents thinking?"

"For the most part, he had learned to laugh along with it, but there were days that he wished his parents had named him George."

John shook his head. "Ah, it doesn't really matter what the name is, kids will make up something with it: Lucy-goosey, Georgie-porgie, Wilting William. I used to always get, 'been to the john, John?' And every new person to say it always thought it was original. If they only knew."

"That may be, but having an odd name only adds fuel to the fire," Virgil added his two cents. "I should know."

"Awww, did poor widdle Virgie get made fun of in school?" Gordon teased.

"Nothing I couldn't handle, just dumb plays on my name."

"Like Virgin Virgil?"

Virgil snorted. "That was the main one. I tried to say that it was more like 'Virile Virgil', but they didn't buy it."

Gordon laughed again. "Can you blame them? It's not like you were Don Juan in school."

Virgil's face grew red with indignation. "Hey, I held my own, a lot better than your record."

"You wish. I was…"

Scott shook his head. If he remembered correctly, neither of his brothers had a dating resume to brag about. So, he interrupted his two squabbling siblings by addressing another. "Hey, Alan, you've gotten awfully quiet. Don't you have anything to add?"

"Nope, I figured the longer the attention was off me, the better."

"I would say that was wise."

Jeff interrupted all his sons. "I think we should all table this conversation. Now, if there are no more surprises, I think I'll head back to my office."

Jeff raised a questioning eyebrow towards Alan who shook his head. "I think we covered if all: boys; names; sticking my foot in my mouth…yep, that about covers it."

Tin-Tin nodded her head. "I'm going to head back to our quarters. It's been a long day, and the trip to the doctors today didn't help the energy level."

Alan gave her a light kiss. "We must take care of your health. Do you need me to come with you?"

"No, I'll be fine. You stay and talk with your family for a bit more, but not too late. You were up even earlier this morning than me to get the plane ready. Besides, it's almost Christina's bedtime. My father probably has her already, just waiting for us to return."

"Of course, sweetheart, I'll be in shortly."

Jeff stood. "I'd better get going too, but I think I'll walk Tin-Tin back to your house first."

"You really don't have to do that," Tin-Tin argued. "It's out of your way."

"The walk and fresh air will do me some good."

Tin-Tin looked doubtful. "I don't know."

"Humor an old man."

She laughed lightly. "You're not old. You can run circles around men only half your age."

"Yeah, like her husband," Gordon quipped.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Alan started, but Jeff cut him off.

"Now, now, boys, no bickering."

"Yes, sir," the two replied in unison.

Turning back to Tin-Tin, Jeff continued. "Okay, let me rephrase that. Humor _ME_, your father-in-law, who is used to getting his own way."

A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't. Teach you a lesson."

"Oooh," the rest of the group exclaimed.

"Pretty gutsy."

"Treading some dangerous ground there."

"Saying 'no' to the great Jefferson Tracy, not a smart idea."

"It's not something I would so, that's for sure."

Jeff shook his head. "You guys make it sound like I'm some kind of ogre. In case you've forgotten, I'm considered a well known philanthropist with a kind and giving nature."

"Yeah, but those people didn't have to ask you for a raise in their allowance, or to borrow the car for a date," Gordon said impishly.

"You'd better watch it, or I'll cut your allowance right now," Jeff teasingly threatened.

"It's not an allowance anymore. It's a paycheck."

"With me as your boss, I could fire you."

Gordon laughed, shaking his head. "And how would that appear to the people who consider you a 'philanthropist with a kind and giving nature'?"

Jeff laughed along. "Anyone who knows you would say that I had the patience of Job to put up with you for so long."

"He's got you there, little brother," Scott interjected.

Jeff held his arm out to Tin-Tin. "On that note, my dear, I think we should leave before the insults start to fly again."

Tin-Tin took his arm. "I think that is a splendid idea." To the rest, she added. "I'll see you in the morning."

John also stood. "I should go too. Neil ate earlier so he could work on an experiment with Brains. We are planning on doing some stargazing tonight, but I want him bathed and ready for bed before nightfall."

Gordon continued his wise cracks. "Spoken like a true father."

"Need I remind you that _you_ are a true father?"

"Of course, that's how I know."

John shook his head, and headed towards the house. "He's in a real mood, today. Have fun guys."

Virgil laughed. "If he gets too bad, we'll just join you and Neil stargazing."

Over his shoulder, John called back. "Nope, it's a father and son thing. You'll have to find another reason to ditch him."

"Thanks for the support, bro."

The group laughed. Scott even reached over and ruffled Gordon's hair, much to his chagrin. Talk floated back to trivial matters and light hearted humor.

Author's note – Okay, even though this story is set as TV verse, the * is our "wink and a nod" to the movie. We are NOT mixing versions, this is the only reference to the movie that you will see in this story. Just wanted a little humor here.

Okay, so there wasn't a lot of action is this chapter, but hopefully, you found the humor in it. Plus we needed to just move the story a bit into the future. Not sure how well it works, but alas, it is what we did.

We need to again send out a big thank you to our beta, Lillehafrue. She has worked hard getting us the chapters back. We couldn't have done it without you.


	9. Visitors

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 9 – Visitors

Thanksgiving came around. Even though they lived on their own island, they still celebrated the American holidays. Grandma and Kyrano put out a huge spread: turkey, ham, roast beef, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, onion and sage dressing, green bean casserole, sautéed brussel sprouts, an assortment of raw vegetables, a relish tray, a fruit salad, a jello salad, six different kinds of pies, and two kinds of cakes. The island residents enjoyed a fun filled day of eating, swimming, tennis and other games. The boys relished in the time of camaraderie and competition. At the end of the day, grateful that no calls had come in, the Tracys all fell into an exhausted yet contented sleep.

A week after the holiday, around the morning breakfast table, Jeff announced that starting the next day, they would be engaging in _Operation: Cover-Up_. The brothers took it in stride until Virgil asked "Who's coming out?"

Jeff shrugged. "Scott's bringing a girl out."

The conversation around the table fell silent in shock. The brothers exchanged glances. They had all noticed that Scott was missing from the breakfast table, but they just assumed he was elsewhere on the island.

"A girl?" Christina excitedly exclaimed. "I play wif her."

Christina's innocence brought a smile to Jeff's face. "Well, I would say that Scott's _girl_ friend is a little old for you to play with, but I believe that she is bringing both a little girl and boy that you can play with."

Christina gave her grandfather a confused look, but she didn't let it bother her for long. She went back to her breakfast, happy with the knowledge that she would have some more playmates for a few days.

Neil, however, had his own questions. "How old are they? How long will they stay? What are their names? Are they nice? Will I like them?"

Jeff shook his head. "Their names are Nick and Linda, and they'll be staying for ten days. I'm not sure of their exact ages. We'll have to ask Scott about that when he gets back. As far as liking them, we will just have to try our best."

"So, what about this _girl_ friend of Scott's?" Alan asked. "Is she really his _girlfriend_? What can you tell us about her?"

Before Jeff could answer, Virgil broke in. "He can't be seeing someone. He would've told me. She must be just a friend."

"I'm not sure how much I should say. If Scott hasn't said anything, he must have a reason."

"You can't leave us in the dark," Gordon argued. "There has to be something you can tell us, at least her name."

"Well, her name is Sharon Nettles. She is the widow of an air force colleague."

"See," Virgil interrupted. "She's the widow of a friend. He just feels sorry for her."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, he's been going to see her for quite a while." Jeff admitted.

"Let me guess. She lives in California?" John asked.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

John shrugged. "That just explains all those trips that he's been taking."

Virgil shook his head. "That still doesn't mean anything. Scott may just be helping her out with things since she lost her husband. You know, to honor his memory."

Alan winked. "I wouldn't count on that."

"So much for your close relationship with Scott," Gordon quipped.

"Oh, shut up."

"Do you think it's serious?" Tin-Tin questioned.

"I really couldn't say," Jeff answered.

John shook his head. "It must be. He's never brought a girl to the island before."

"I still wouldn't be too sure," Virgil countered. "I always thought he had an eye for Lady Penelope."

Jeff shrugged. "Speculating isn't going to get us anywhere. You'll just have to ask Scott when he gets back tomorrow."

"And don't think we won't nail him," Gordon jokingly threatened. "Keeping such a secret from us."

Alan laughed. "And I'm sure you'll have him quaking in his boots while you question him."

Gordon feigned an innocent look. "It won't be just me. I know at least three others that will be right alongside me."

"All right, boys," Jeff said. "I have a list of things to be done before our guests arrive." A chorus of "Yes, sir" answered him as they went back to their breakfast.

TBTBTBTBTB

A little after three the next afternoon, the brothers were waiting in the hanger as Scott brought the plane in for a landing.

"What do you think she's like?" Alan asked.

Gordon laughed. "Knowing Scott, she'll be thin and blonde with high heels and a short skirt."

Virgil shook his head. "I wouldn't count on it."

"Oh, I forgot. You're the only one who really knows Scott. So, why don't you tell us what she's like since Scott confided in you about this?"

Virgil rolled his eyes. "Picking up a blonde in a bar for a good time is one thing, but when Scott would get serious, he would look for a mature responsible person. She may be a blonde, but she'll be more reserved, not flashy."

"You're pretty sure of yourself."

Virgil shrugged. "Don't forget. First, she was a military wife, then a military widow. She's been raising two children on her own. That all sounds pretty down to earth to me."

John joined the conversation. "We're about to find out. He's taxing in."

Virgil and Gordon looked out and saw the plane making its way towards them. They all moved toward the side of the hanger to give him plenty of clearance. The brothers were antsy as they waited for their guests to deplane. It seemed like a long time, but they knew that it was the sense of anticipation that was dragging the time. But then again, maybe Scott was playing it out to teach them a lesson.

Finally, the plane door opened, and Scott lowered the steps. Scott disembarked first, followed by a boy that looked around the age of nine. A small girl stood nervously in the doorway. She relaxed and giggled when Scott reached up and spun her around before setting her on the floor. He then reached his hand up a helped a classy looking lady from the plane.

Scott eyed his brothers, and then asked her. "Are you ready for this?"

She gave him a nervous smile. "As ready as I can be."

Scott picked up the little girl in one arm and placed the other around Sharon. "Relax; they're going to love you."

"I just don't understand why you didn't tell them about me before."

"I guess I just wanted to keep you all to myself." They crossed the hanger and Scott began the introductions. "Hey, guys, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Sharon Nettles, and these are her children, Nick and Linda. Sharon, kids, these are my brothers," He pointed to them as he named them off. "Virgil, John, Alan, and Gordon. This little dude is John's son, Neil, and the older gentleman that just came in the door is my father."

Jeff quickly made his way to the group and shook Sharon's hand. "You must be Sharon. It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to Tracy Island."

"Thank you, Mr. Tracy. It's our pleasure to be here."

"Jeff, please call me Jeff. Mr. Tracy makes me sound old."

"You are old. You are a grandfather, after all," Gordon teased.

Jeff gave his son a pointed look. "Our guests just got here. Let's not expose all our faults in the first five minutes."

"That's okay, Mr…I mean, Jeff. Scott has told me enough about the family that I understand." Sharon remarked as she smiled at the family members.

"Too bad we can't say the same thing about you," Virgil remarked. "Since Scott has kept you a secret, you will have to tell us all about yourself."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Can't that wait? Like Dad said, they just got here. Give 'em a break." Glancing around, he asked. "Where is everybody else?"

"Christina is still taking a nap," Alan supplied. "She was so excited about your friends coming that she went down late. Tin-Tin was worn out so I told her to stay and rest while Christina slept."

"Brains is in his lab and probably lost track of time, and Kyrano and your grandmother are in the kitchen," Jeff added. "They are putting together a lavish dinner to rival the finest five star restaurant."

Sharon reddened. "I wish they wouldn't do that. I don't want them to go through all that trouble for us."

"Believe us, it's no trouble," John replied. "They both love to cook, and will use any reason to indulge in that passion."

"Yeah, if we weren't as active as we are, we'd all weigh 300 pounds," Gordon added.

"Well, the least I can do is to help them."

The brothers couldn't help the laughter that slipped out. Scott smiled. "I'll tell you what. I'll take you to the kitchen and introduce you. If you can convince either one to let you help, you will have accomplished what we rarely, and I do mean rarely, can."

Alan backed up Scott's assessment. "I can never remember them letting a guest lift a finger in the kitchen."

"Yeah," Virgil added. "Look at the ruckus that was raised when Parker insisted on handling the tea for Lady Penelope."

Gordon shook his head and laughed lightly at the memory. "Two bull-headed people butting against each other, with neither one wanting to give in."

"So, what happened?" Sharon asked.

"Lady Penelope brokered a compromise between the two," Scott answered. "When she is here, she eats lunch and dinner, handled by Kyrano, with the family, but breakfast and tea is served by Parker."

"Sounds like she's a pretty shrewd diplomat," Sharon commented.

Jeff nodded. "She is, but that comes with dealing with the British hierarchy, getting her own way without stepping on too many toes."

"And she is very good at it," John added.

Sharon looped her arm through Scott's. "Well, let's see how good I am at diplomacy."

"Okay, but don't hold your breath. Come on, kids. Let's go meet my grandmother, and then I'll show you to the guests room, and maybe, just maybe, we'll have time to go for a swim."

"In the ocean?" Nick asked.

"Sure if that's what you want."

"We'll grab their bags and put them in their rooms," John volunteered.

"Thanks," Scott gave a small wave, and he led the group out of the hanger.

The others watched them leave. "Now, there goes a good looking family," John commented.

"Do you think it's going to go that far?" Alan questioned.

"I think it'll depend on how this week goes," Virgil surmised.

Gordon nodded. "Judging by the looks between them, I would say we'd better prepare to get a new sister-in-law and a niece and nephew in the process."

"I would say you're right," Virgil agreed.

Jeff shook his head. "But there's one major issue that could cause a problem."

John sighed. "International Rescue?"

His father nodded. "International Rescue."

Gordon frowned. "I don't get it. International Rescue is a highly respected organization. Why would Sharon object?"

"Because it's also a very dangerous job," John explained. "Just like police work or firefighting, people are glad that they're out there, but they're not too thrilled if it is their spouses or children doing the work. It takes a special person to let a loved one risk their lives for a job."

"I never thought about it like that. It's so second nature to us." Gordon replied.

"Plus, she's already been widowed once," Virgil added. "That's going to weigh heavily on her."

"You don't think that Scott will quit to be with her, do you?" Alan asked.

"I don't know," Jeff answered somberly. "But we need to respect whatever decision he makes."

Gordon tried to lighten the mood. "Maybe, we're just borrowing trouble. Maybe, they're not at that point yet, and we're jumping the gun, or maybe, she'll be thrilled to be a part on the International Rescue family."

John nodded. "Well, we're not going to solve the maybes by talking here. Let's get those bags moved for them." He was answered with an "All right" and some head nods. With so many, the bags were moved quickly, and the group broke up to do their own things until dinner.

TBTBTBTBTB

They had hoped that International Rescue would remain quiet during the Nettle's visit, but early on the third morning, a call came in. A fishing trawler was floundering in rough seas, with seven crewmen aboard. It was still dark on Tracy Island and Scott, Virgil and Gordon slipped away while their guests slept.

"We're missing a few people," Sharon commented at the breakfast table.

Jeff followed the cover story. "A problem came up at work and I sent Scott to take care of it. Gordon went along to do some shopping, and Virgil went along to keep the peace while they are traveling.

Sharon smiled at the thought of Scott fighting with his brother. "So, they're in New York?"

"Oh, no, they only had to go as far as the west coast, Washington State to be exact. He shouldn't have to be gone too long. He'll probably be home later today."

"I hope Gordon and Virgil will spell Scott through the trip. Otherwise, he'll be awfully tired. That's a lot of flying to do all in one day."

Jeff smiled. "That's one of the nice things about owning your own aeronautics company. We have a couple of high tech planes that are faster than anything that is commercially available. He'll be fine."

"That's good to hear. He promised the kids a hike around the island. I hope he can still do it. They were so looking forward to it."

Alan nodded. "They should be back this afternoon. You guys could take a hike up to the western bluff to watch the sunset. It really is a beautiful sight. You should ask Scott about it."

"Maybe, he's keeping that for a romantic walk for the two of them." John added.

Sharon shrugged. "We'll see. He does have a romantic side."

Alan laughed. "That's more information than I wanted to know. So, Scott's kept you a pretty big secret. Even when we ask questions, he changes the subject, but since he's not here, how about you filling us in on yourself?"

"I'm sure that he thought he was protecting me from your curiosity. What would you like to know?"

"Oh, like where did you grow up? What did your parents do? Do you have other siblings? Your favorite music? How about hobbies?" John supplied.

Alan nodded and added his own questions. "Yeah, basically everything, but most importantly, how'd you meet Scott? How long have you been dating? How serious is your relationship?"

"Really, Alan, that's a bit personal," Jeff admonished.

"No, that's okay," Sharon said. "I can't blame him for being curious. I mean, Scott did just spring me on you guys."

Jeff shook his head. "Well, don't feel compelled to answer any questions that make you feel uncomfortable."

Sharon smiled. "Thank you for your concern. I'll keep that in mind. Anyways, I was born and raised just outside of Detroit. My father worked in the auto industry and my mother was a secretary. I had one brother, a twin brother to be exact. We had your typical, mid-American childhood. We were in the scouts. Jason played football and baseball in high school. I played basketball and ran track. My poor mom spent most of her free time chauffeuring us around town. I guess you'd say my hobbies were the sports I played, shopping and playing the piano. I never got into stamps or coin collecting or anything like that. We both graduated in the top ten of our class, and we each were offered scholarships at the local state college. I took it, Jason didn't. He had been in the ROTC program. He joined the military right after graduation, and he was accepted into the Air Force Academy to study communications. I visited him quite a few times. Then, once while I was there, I met this visiting pilot. He was so handsome, tall, blonde haired, blue eyed, well-defined muscle tone. I know it's cliché to say, but it was love at first sight. Mike and I were married within six months."

"Is that when you met Scott?" Alan asked the obvious question.

"Yes, Scott was Mike's best friend. So, it was just natural that we got to know each other. I finished my nurse's training, Nick came along. We moved to California shortly after that. Life seemed perfect. Mike was moving up in rank. I had a good job at the base hospital. Linda came along. We couldn't ask for anything more. Then came that awful day." She paused and shuddered at the memory.

"You don't have to go on, if it's too much," Jeff told her.

She shook her head. "No, it's been almost four years. I'm okay. I was on duty at the hospital when the injured were brought in. I was prepping the surgical suite when my supervisor informed me that Mike was among the wounded. She relived me of duty immediately. Scott came at Mike's request. I don't know what I would've done without him. Mike's death wasn't a surprise given how badly he was hurt, but it still…well, anyways, my life changed instantly. I was now a widow, trying to raise two children on my own. I went from being a military wife, living on base, to a civilian who needed to find a place to live on my salary. The Air Force helped as much as possible, but it was Scott that I leaned on the most. I can't even tell you why. He was Mike's friend. I wouldn't say that the two of us were close. He must have sensed something too. After he came back home, he called me on a regular basis just to see if we needed anything. He even came sometimes to help me with repairs around the house."

"When did you decide to start dating?" John questioned.

"Well, I didn't date at all for the first eighteen months. I just couldn't. The pain of losing Mike was still too great. Then, when I did start dating, I found myself comparing the men to Mike. I knew it wasn't fair to them, but I couldn't help it."

Jeff nodded. "It's perfectly understandable. I know that I felt that way too after losing Lucy. It's part of being human."

Sharon returned the nod. "Well, anyways, after about a year of that, something strange happened. I was out on a date, and instead of comparing him to Mike, I found myself comparing him to Scott. It shocked me at first. I chalked it up to the fact that Scott had just been there to repair the roof, but it seemed to continue. I decided to invite him over to just visit. We had been getting closer over the years. So, I figured that I could feel him out. If there wasn't any interest on his part, I would just play it off as just two friends getting together."

"And obviously, you saw some interest," John added.

Sharon nodded. "Yes, I did. So, we began dating. Scott would come to California every month and sometimes twice a month. Our relationship has grown into something that I would say was serious. It concerned me that he hadn't introduced me to his family, but I guess he finally rectified that. So, that's basically my story. How about you?" Addressing Alan, she continued. "I hear that you and your wife are going to be moving soon."

Alan nodded. "Her obstetrician wants her closer to the hospital during the last trimester. So, we'll be moving just after the new year."

"Has she been having problems?" When she saw Alan's confused look, she hurriedly said "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry, but as a surgical nurse, it's kind of a professional curiosity."

"I see. To answer your question, no, she's not having problems at the moment with the exception of being tired most of the time. The move is just precautionary. You know, just in case. We have no reason to think there will be a problem, but…"

"Better safe than sorry," Sharon supplied.

"Right, well, I'd better get going. Christina is probably up by now, and I promised Tin-Tin that I'd bring her some tea and toast."

"I should be going too. Your grandmother has my children in the game room. They were in the middle of a rousing game of Go Fish. I think UNO was next on the agenda."

"Your children had better watch it," John broke in. "Neil is a killer at UNO. I guess I'd better go collect him too. Give Grandma a break."

"How about we gather the kids and head down to the beach for a while?" Alan suggested. "We can get in a couple of hours before the sun gets too hot."

"That sounds nice," Sharon replied. "How about you John?"

"Sure, I'll see about getting some drinks. Alan, can you get the sun block and towels from poolside?"

Alan nodded, and they went their separate ways.

TBTBTBTBTB

The rescue took a bit longer than expected. Grandma insisted on holding dinner for an extra half hour for them to return. Tin-Tin invited Sharon and her children, along with John and Neil to their quarters for an impromptu dance party. The guests never suspected that it was a ruse to cover the return of the Thunderbirds. John and Tin-Tin knew they were safe when Scott showed up and declared. "What is this? Nobody missed me?"

Nick and Linda threw themselves at Scott.

"Scott, you're back. I missed you!"

"I missed you, Scotty!"

"Can we go for our hike now?"

"Yeah, you promised."

Scott shook his head. "Grandma has dinner waiting for us. But I'll tell you what, after dinner, we'll take a nice walk. It won't be the hike I had planned, but maybe we can do that later in the week."

"Tomorrow?"

"Maybe, we'll have to see."

Sharon looped her arm through Scott's. "Come on, kids. Let's get you washed up." The kids ran off towards the main house. The two moved at a slower pace, and even John and Tin-Tin passed them. She smiled at Scott. "I'm glad you're back. I missed you too."

Scott pulled her a little closer. "I'm glad to hear that. I missed you too."

Sharon heard a sense of apprehension in Scott's voice. It confused her. "Scott, is something wrong? Did something happen while you were away? Can I help?"

"Huh? What?" Scott was surprised that Sharon picked up on his emotions. "No, I'm fine. It's just…well…we need to talk."

"Oooh, this sounds serious. Should I be worried?"

Scott shrugged and tried to lighten the mood. "I guess it depends on how worrisome you are."

Sharon stopped walking, and with their arms still interlinked, she pulled Scott up short. "I'm serious, Scott. Something is bothering you, and it concerns me. I've never seen you act like this. It's like your hiding something."

Scott placed his hands on her shoulders. "Look, we _do_ need to talk, and it is of a serious nature, but as far as worrying, it just depends on your point of view."

"But you seem worried."

"It's just me. Let's talk after the kids go to bed. Until then, don't worry."

"If you say so." The two continued to the house and joined the rest of the family for dinner.

Author's Note: "Scott and Sharon sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G"...Oh wait, did we just revert back to elementary school? (Clears throat) Ahem, back to being adults, we hope that you enjoyed this chapter. We just gotta let some of these other boys get some loving.

To those who left reviews for the last two chapters, we really do appreciate them. We like to try to reply to individuals, but unfortunately life has really jumped up and bit us in the butt. We've been lucky just to get the few minutes to post, but we wanted to quickly acknowledge them and express our gratitude.

Thanks again for reading. We hope that you enjoyed it.


	10. Proposal

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 10 – Proposal

Scott and Sharon walked along beneath an almost full moon. They engaged in idle chit-chat until Scott pulled them over to a fallen log. He positioned himself so she could sit in front of him and lean her back against his chest with his arms securely around her.

"Are we finally going to get around to whatever you want to talk about?"

"Tell me, what do you think of Tracy Island?"

Sharon smiled, confident that she knew where this conversation was going. "It's absolutely beautiful. You have your sandy white beaches, crystal blue waters, and large treed areas if you have a hankering to walk in the woods, bluff areas to give you the most amazing views. You couldn't ask for anything more."

"Unless you want some snow skiing, then you'd have to get Brains to get out his snow machine."

Sharon laughed and lightly smacked him on his arm. "Oh, you, never satisfied, are you?" Quizzically, she asked. "He doesn't really have one of those, does he?"

Scott laughed "Sure he does. He made it snow one year on Christmas."

"I shouldn't be surprised from the things you've told me. But he's so quiet. I haven't really gotten to know him."

Scott ignored the mention of getting to know Brains and went back to his subject. "What about the kids? What'd they think?"

"As they would put it, it's the 'biggest, bestest place in the whole world'. They also love you to pieces, in case that's going to be one of your questions."

"What do you think about my family?"

"It's hard to say. I have only known them for three days, but they seem nice. Alan, John and even Tin-Tin made sure we were occupied today. It was nice to know they cared. That's one thing I have noticed is how close and caring your family is. Neil seems a bit standoffish at times. I know you said he's only been here a short time. Is he having a hard time adjusting?"

Scott sighed. "It's hard to say. Sometimes it seems like he's adjusting well only to take an abrupt turnaround and we start back over again."

"You can't really blame him. The death of his mother will weigh on him for years, not to mention the survivor guilt. I know Nick had a hard time dealing with Mike's death. Linda was only a baby. I don't know if it's blessing or a curse for her not to have any memories."

"I know. We've had that very discussion between us brothers."

Sharon shook her head. "You five are so well adjusted that sometimes I forget that you lost your mother at a young age."

"I could tell you some stories that you'd never believe that again."

Sharon laughed. "I'm sure you could, but somehow I think we veered subjects."

Scott tightened his arms around her. "I guess we have. I'm just having a hard time building up my courage."

"If it's what I think it is, you don't need much courage. I hope you know how much you mean to me. You helped me through the darkest period of my life. Over the course of the years, our friendship has developed into something more. I do love you, Scott."

Scott remained quiet and a sick feeling began in the pit of her stomach. She leaned forward and puller herself out of his arms. "Oh God, I've completely misread the situation. I'm such a fool. Just forget everything I said." She stood and tried to move away, but Scott grabbed her hand.

"Please don't go. It's not what you think. Nothing would make me happier than to declare my love for you right now and ask you to marry me, but there's something I need to tell you first."

Sharon turned to face him. "So, tell me."

Scott shook his head. "It's not that easy. It's just…well, it's very complicated. It could drastically change our relationship. You may never want to see me again."

Sharon laughed lightly. "I doubt that could happen."

"You don't know."

"Then tell me."

Scott stood and walked a few feet away. "First, I need a promise from you. No matter how you feel about what I tell you, you have to keep it a secret."

"Of course, if you want it a secret, then…"

Scott spun to face her. "Sharon, I can't stress the seriousness of this. The consequences of this secret getting out could be deadly, not just for me and my family, but for you and anyone you tell."

"Scott, you're scaring me."

"I'm sorry. It's just that for our relationship to continue, you need to understand what you are getting into. It's only fair to you."

"You're rambling. Now, will you please slow down and tell me? I promise you that no matter what, I won't tell anyone."

Scott sighed heavily and rubbed his hands together. "I wasn't going to bring this up until the end of your trip, but I feel like I'm lying to you." Scott paused.

"About?" Sharon prompted.

"It's about where I was earlier today."

"Your father said that you were away on family business."

"Well, for the most part that's true, but it's not the business that you're thinking of."

"What are you trying to say? Please don't tell me that you're some part of a crime family. I don't think I could believe it."

Scott shook his head and gave a small laugh. "No, no, nothing like that, but I don't know if you're going to believe me anyways. Did you happen to see any news reports today, specifically a national news broadcast from the states?"

"I caught a few bits here and there."

"Did you catch any reports about International Rescue being out today?"

"Of course, it's always a…wait a minute, are you trying to say…no, you're not…I mean…are you really…"

Scott nodded. "I'm the field commander and pilot of Thunderbird One."

"The Thunderbirds? You're right. I find it hard to believe. Are you serious? Really serious? The Thunderbirds?"

"Now you understand why I need you to keep this a secret. There are some people out there who would do anything, and I mean anything to get a clue to our identity."

"And the rest of your family? They're all Thunderbirds?"

Scott nodded again. "Yeah, Virgil pilots Thunderbird Two; Gordon, Four; and John and Alan alternate between Three, Five or the Communication Center. Dad is the founder of International Rescue and our commander."

"And the others?"

"Brains designs and maintains our equipment. He also has gone out on a few rescues when we need an extra hand, so has Tin-Tin. Kyrano knows about International Rescue, but hasn't gone out on any rescues. He prefers his duties here on the island. We also have other operatives scattered around the world, usually for information gathering, but a few have helped on actual rescues."

"Wait a minute. Tin-Tin has gone out? Alan allows it? Isn't he worried about her safety?"

"Of course, he is," Scott declared with a touch of irritation in his voice. "We all are, and it's not just Tin-Tin. We all look out for each other. How could we not?"

"Are you trying to tell me that it's not dangerous?"

Scott sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No, that's not what I'm saying. Of course, there's danger. We've all had close calls, even Tin-Tin, but we've always managed to pull through."

"And your point is?"

Scott's frustration bubbled over. "God, this isn't how this was supposed to go."

Sharon's own frustration got the better of her. "Let me guess. You were about to give me the 'sure, it's dangerous, but someone has to do it'. Or, was it going to be 'we take every precaution, so there's nothing to worry about'? Actually, I suppose you could use 'there's no guarantees in life, even CPAs get killed on their way to or from work' excuse. You can save your breath. I've heard it all before. Maybe you had hoped that I would just swoon at your proposal and ignore the fact that you have a dangerous job."

Scott turned and faced the ocean. "I'm sorry, Sharon. I never intended this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you like this. I should've known better, especially after losing Mike. I should've known that you couldn't handle loving someone with a dangerous job again. We should've never moved our relationship beyond the friendship stage."

"Well, it's too late for that, and now the children are involved. How could you do that to them?"

"I'm sorry, so sorry."

"Couldn't you quit? Isn't there a safe managerial job in Tracy Enterprises that you could have?"

"I've thought about that," Scott replied as he knelt before her, his eyes pleading with her to understand. "But that's not who I am. Doing a desk job would change me. I know it would. I wouldn't be the man you fell in love with."

A few tears fell from Sharon's eyes. "So, what do we do now?"

Scott took her hands in his own. "I guess the next step is up to you. I know that doesn't sound fair, but that's how it is. I love you and want to marry you. It would be my honor to be a new father to Linda and Nick. But I also understand if you can't handle my job. So, it is ultimately your decision."

"You're right. This isn't fair. It's too hard of a choice. I don't know if I can do it." Sharon's tone started out as harsh, but softened as she spoke. "I do love you, but I'm scared. Can I have some time to think about it?"

"Of course, take all the time you need."

"And if my answer is no?"

"I'll be disappointed. I won't deny that. But if you think that is the best for you and the kids, I'll respect that. I'll have too. I'll even take you home early if you want."

"No, I wouldn't want to do that to the kids. This is their vacation. Let's keep this between us. I don't want them upset."

"Of course."

The two sat quietly for a few minutes. Finally Scott broke the silence. "Come on, I'll walk you back."

"I think it's better if I just have some alone time."

"That's fine, once you get back to the house. You don't know the island that well. I wouldn't want to risk you getting hurt or lost on your way back."

Sharon nodded. Again, the two were silent as they made their way back to the house. Scott tried to take her hand, but she pulled away and put a discreet distance between them. Once back, she went to the guest suite, but she couldn't unwind enough to sleep. She tried to think, but her heart and head were at odds with each other. She couldn't think clearly.

A little after midnight, she headed to the gardens, hoping that it was well lit. She thought that maybe a walk in such a serene place would have a calming effect on her. There, she ran into Kyrano, who was carrying a small basket and clippers.

"Don't tell me you're still working, Mr. Kyrano."

Kyrano shook his head. "This is my time off, Mrs. Nettles."

"Please, I've asked you to just call me Sharon."

"It would not be proper. You are a guest."

Sharon sighed and tipped her head. "I'll tell you what, how about a compromise? You call my children Mr. Nick and Miss Linda. How about calling me Miss Sharon?"

Kyrano thought for a moment, and then gave a small nod of his head. "That would be acceptable, but you must call me simply Kyrano."

Sharon smiled slightly. "It's a deal. So, if this is your time off, why are you out here working so late?"

"This is not work to me. It is my time to commune with nature, a time to center myself."

"Maybe I should go. I don't want to disturb you."

Kyrano ignored the statement. "You seem troubled. Do you want to share your worries?"

"I don't know. It's kind of personal."

"If that is your wish, but please note that I am willing to listen."

"And give advice?"

"Only if you would prefer. I have been told by many on the island that my advice is sound. Although, I do not see it myself. My efforts are only to encourage people to examine their problems from all angles."

Sharon sighed. "Maybe I should talk to someone. God knows I'm not doing any good stewing on it myself."

"Stewing, as you put it, never helps a situation. Only calm, rational examination of the problem will work."

"You have to promise not to get mad. Some of my issues may sound…well, they'll sound…never mind, it's not important."

"I assure you that I am not given to fits of anger."

"Not ever? Are you sure that you're not one of Brains' robots?"

Kyrano stopped pruning. "I was not always this way. In my younger age, I was given to my emotions as well as you are. It took many years and trials to reach a level of understanding."

"Understanding of what? Emotions? Anger?"

"To a point, all emotions have a place in our lives. Most individuals classify them as either positive or negative, but they are both."

Sharon frowned a bit in confusion. "I don't think I understand. How can they be both? Love is good. Hate is bad. Courage is good. Fear is bad. Joy is good, and so on and so on."

"It may seem that way, but there are opposite sides of each of them."

She waited for him to continue, and when he didn't, she prompted. "Like?"

Kyrano shrugged. "Love can be good. Loving your family causes a person to provide for them both financially and emotionally. But it can also be bad. The love of money results in greed and selfishness. A person may become a workaholic and neglect his family, or he could become a chronic gambler, losing what money he has in an effort for a fast dollar."

"I guess you could rationalize love into a bad thing, but I don't see how hate can be good."

"Is it not the people who hate to see the injustices in the world who stand up to make changes? Mr. Tracy, hated the way people are treated by governments and big corporations. He chose to become a philanthropist and use his money for the betterment of mankind, and not just people he knows. People all around the world have benefited from his generosity because of his 'hate'."

"I don't know if I would've called it hate, maybe frustration, irritation, or just plain angry."

"Would not those also be considered negative emotions?"

Sharon smiled. "And I'm sure if I press you, you'd have a rational for every emotion, even the courage and fear I mentioned with love and hate."

Kyrano bowed slightly in affirmation. "They are mirror emotions. Too much courage makes a person reckless, leading to dangerous situations. Courage in control lets a person lead an adjusted lifestyle of interaction with people and needed decisions. Too much fear paralyzes a person, leaving them unable to deal with the daily aspects of life. While fear held in check allows a person to function, yet gives them a natural instinct for safety, like being aware of your surrounding while traveling alone."

Sharon smiled. "Told you."

"The imperative with any emotion is to use only their positive aspects."

"That's a nice sentiment, but I'm not sure that it is practical for everybody. I tend to be too emotional. I really envy your serenity."

"You, too, can have this serenity."

Sharon shook her head. "No offense intended, but I just can't see myself doing yoga and meditation."

"That is not the only path to enlightenment."

Flushing red, she stammered an apology. "I'm sorry. I guess I just lumped you into the stereotype of eastern mysticism. That was wrong of me. Please forgive me."

Kyrano bowed slightly. "Thank you, but your apology was unnecessary. I am well aware that some of my fellow believers can be a trifle overbearing in their beliefs. I, personally, believe that we are all individuals, and, therefore, must find our own way. What has worked for me may not be the correct path for you."

Sharon gave him a quizzical look. "Can I ask you a personal question, Kyrano?"

"You may ask. I make no promises to answer."

"Fair enough," Sharon nodded, but paused before she asked her question. "What happened to your wife?" Kyrano remained silent for a few moments, and she backed away from the subject. "Never mind, I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business."

"No, it is fine. My wife, Aisyah, and I ran a small restaurant in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Unfortunately, it was during a time of civil unrest. The local governor wanted to prove that he was not afraid of the rebels and continued to frequent local businesses. One day, he chose to patron our restaurant. Even with his guards, the rebels managed to smuggle a bomb into the building. The blast destroyed our restaurant and the glass shop next door. Every employee and patron was killed."

"That's awful. You weren't there?"

Kyrano shook his head. "No, I was still at the market. Fate had intervened that day. I had taken Tin-Tin with me, and at that age, she tended to slow me down. If not for that, we all would have perished in that explosion."

"So, she was never involved in International Rescue."

Kyrano raised an eyebrow. "Pardon me? International Rescue?"

"You don't have to hide it. Scott told me about it."

"Well, I certainly hope that he cleared that with Mr. Tracy, but to answer your question, no, she was never involved with International Rescue. She departed this life two years before I met Mr. Tracy, and many years before International Rescue went into operation."

Sharon nodded. "I guess that should've been obvious. If Tin-Tin was only a child at the time of her mother's death…International Rescue hasn't been in operation that long. How did you meet the Tracys, anyhow?"

"After the tragedy, I had no money to rebuild my business, and I had a young child to raise. So, we moved to France, and I took a position as head chef in a Paris restaurant. Mr. Tracy stopped in whenever he traveled to Paris. We both recognized the special friendship that quickly developed. When he finally moved to this island, he invited me to come and work for him. It has been my pleasure to do so."

"Have you ever wondered what your life would've been like if you hadn't?"

"I do not understand. I am very happy with my life."

"You know…the road not taken. How different would your life be? Or Tin-Tin's? Would she be married to someone who risks his life on a regular basis? And what about her children? Don't they matter?"

"Pardon me, Miss Sharon, but is there a point that you are reaching for? Is there something in your life that you're questioning?"

Sharon sighed. "Scott proposed to me tonight. That's why he told me about International Rescue. He thought I should know before I made a decision."

"And you are unsure whether to accept?"

"I love Scott. I really do, and I know the kids think the world of him. But I've already buried one husband. There's no way around it. Scott has a very dangerous job. Can I risk losing another husband? Can I ask the kids to take that chance? How can I, in good conscience, put them in an emotionally vulnerable position? It just wouldn't be right. As their mother, I have to protect them."

"I can understand your desire to protect your children, but dangerous jobs do not automatically lead to tragic results. You can only do so much. Fate will step in for its own wishes."

"But shouldn't I…" Sharon's words were cut off by a series of beeps forming a tune coming from Kyrano's watch. "What the heck is that?"

"It is the International Rescue alarm."

"That's the alarm? I would've thought it would be louder. You know, something blaring through the house."

Kyrano smiled. "Normally it is, but we are under Operation: Cover-Up."

Sharon gave him a confused look. "Operation: Cover-Up?"

"It is for the time when someone ignorant of International Rescue is on the island. Mr. Tracy does not want to raise unwarranted questions."

"Should we be doing something?"

"Normally, I am not required, but perhaps it would be best if you joined them. A firsthand look of the operation may give you some of the answers you are looking for."

"Maybe it would." Sharon followed Kyrano to the lounge.

Author's Note - Okay, a proposal...what will Sharon's answer be? Will watching a rescue put her mind at ease, or will it scare her away? Only time will tell.

Also, just to clarify, especially for those who didn't read our previous story, Sharon's late husband, Mike, is the friend of Scott's whose death sent him for his wild emotional tailspin in _Cause and Effect_.

We, personally, have never heard or read what happened to Tin-Tin's mother. So, we just made something up that fit our story. If there is a backstory out there, that we are unaware of, we apologize.

We hope you enjoyed this chapter. Look for the action to pick up as the rescue progresses.


	11. The Beginning

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 11 – The Beginning

Sharon followed Kyrano to the lounge. She was surprised to see the portraits of the brothers had changed to pictures of them in the familiar International Rescue uniforms. She slipped just inside the door and watched as Jeff gave out orders.

"Scott, coordinate your efforts with the local rescue agencies. I want drop-off points by the time that Thunderbird Two arrives."

"F-A-B," Scott replied.

Sharon expected him to walk by her on his way out the door. She was confused when he headed in the other direction. He headed to the wall that held an abstract painting. He caught sight of her when he turned away from the painting and gave her a wink. Grabbing the two lamps on the wall, he spun out of sight. Sharon cocked an eyebrow and muttered to herself. "The surprises keep coming." She turned her attention back to Jeff.

"This rescue area is huge. More than likely, you'll have to split up to maintain an effective rescue. I want you all to be diligent in your contact with each other. John, you're going to need the Firefly. Squeeze the Excavator and whatever other rescue equipment you can into the pod with it. Gordon, help John. Alan, stock some extra med packs in Two's sickbay. Virgil, have her ready to lift off as soon as they are done. I want you in the air as soon as possible."

A chorus of "F-A-B"s answered him as the brothers left for Thunderbird Two's hanger. Sharon couldn't help but drop her jaw as Virgil disappeared head first through the painting of the rocket. She wondered how many other hidden doors were in these walls.

"I see we've shocked you," Jeff said.

Sharon moved closer to his desk. "You know, when Scott told me about International Rescue, I never really thought about all this behind the scene stuff. It's pretty impressive. Where are they going?"

"To the Philippines. There was a massive earthquake off the coast."

"An earthquake? How bad? Will they be in danger?"

Jeff shook his head. "I don't have any specifics on the magnitude of it, but it caused significant damage in the islands, more than the local authorities can handle. They called us for help. As far as the danger, we won't know until they arrive. There could be unstable buildings, live utility lines, not to mention the possible aftershocks."

Sharon had forgotten that Kyrano was there until he asked. "Would you like me to bring you some coffee, Mr. Tracy?"

"Yes, please, Kyrano, it's going to be a long night."

"Is there anything that I can bring to you, Miss Sharon?"

"Just coffee is fine. Thank you, Kyrano."

Once Kyrano left, Jeff commented. "I see that you got him to stop calling you Mrs. Nettles. That's quite an accomplishment. You'll have to tell me your secret."

Sharon turned back to Jeff. "I simply made him a deal. I dropped the Mr. from his name, and he would call me Miss Sharon instead of Mrs. Nettles. Compromise…it works wonders." Changing topics, she asked, "Do you stay here the whole time they are out on a rescue?"

Jeff nodded. "As long as it's a short rescue, I normally remain at my desk, but if it's a long rescue like this one is going to be, I'll stretch out on the couch every now and then to catch a few winks. We also have protocols to ensure that they get rest periods out in the field. After all, a tired operative is a dangerous operative."

"That's good to hear."

Jeff leaned forward and rested his arms on his desk. "Sharon, I know…" He was interrupted by Virgil's voice over the comm.

"Thunderbird Two to command. Ready for lift-off."

"F-A-B, be careful, boys."

"What does that mean?" Sharon asked. "F-A-B?"

"It's our form of acknowledgement, like ten-four."

"Why not just use ten-four?"

Jeff shrugged. "We wanted something different. We batted around a few ideas before we settled on it."

"Is it short for something or the initials of something?"

"It's short for fabulous."

Sharon laughed lightly. "Fabulous? How do you go from ten-four to fabulous?"

Jeff smiled. "Blame Alan. He was trying to be a smart alec, but his brothers latched on to it. And it's _fabulous_ with a heavy British accent. Don't ask me why, but the boys always say it that way when the subject is brought up." Getting a serious look on his face, he then shifted direction. "Look, Sharon, I don't you to think that I'm trying to meddle here, but I know Scott proposed to you, and I also know that you're concerned about the dangers of his job."

"I'd rather not discuss it right now."

"I can understand that, but just let me say this: I understand your fears. These are my sons, the people who mean the most to me in the world, who I send out on these rescues. It's not something I take lightly. I want to assure you that we take every feasible precaution to ensure their safety. If you and Scott do get married, and the unthinkable happens, I want you to know that you will always have a place here, and if you don't want to stay here, I will make sure that you and your children will be provided for. You won't want for anything."

"Except for the husband I lost. No amount of money can replace that."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that fact."

Sharon's face reddened. "God, I'm sorry, Mr. Tracy…uh…Jeff. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure that it was just as painful when you lost your wife as it was when I lost Mike."

"I still miss her. Anyways, I just wanted you to know that I do understand your feelings, and if you want to talk about it, if there's anything I can do to make you more comfortable, just ask. I'm here."

"I'll remember that." Sharon stood and moved to the windows. She stared out at the ocean in an effort to calm herself. "How much longer before we hear from them?"

Jeff checked his watch. "Scott should be getting there soon. Two's a little slower. It'll take them about an hour. I'm sure we'll hear from them as soon as they have something to report."

"I don't know how you stand it, all this waiting." She gave a slight laugh. "And it hasn't even been that long. How pathetic am I? I'm sure you're thinking that I'm nowhere close to International Rescue material."

"You'd be surprised. I may appear calm right now, but that's just practice. It's a test of my willpower each time they go out. If I had my way, I'd have a two way comm. open the whole time they were out. Better yet, I want to be out there with them. I have my own uniform. Did you know that?"

"So, why don't you go out?"

"Security reasons. I may be labeled a recluse, but I'm still too recognizable."

"I see."

Kyrano returned at that moment with the coffee and even a plate of pastries and some fruit. "In case you change your mind, Mr. Tracy," he replied to Jeff's cocked eyebrow.

"Thank you, Kyrano. I'm grateful for your thoughtfulness."

"Is there anything else you need, Mr. Tracy?"

"No, I don't think so. How about you Sharon? Anything you need?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

Kyrano bowed slightly. "I will take my leave then. I will be in my quarters if you should need me."

"We'll be fine. Thank you, anyways. Get some rest, Kyrano." Kyrano nodded and left the room. Jeff turned back to Sharon. "You should probably get some rest too. The children will be up at their normal time in the morning. They won't understand why you're so tired."

"Maybe in a bit. I'm too wired to sleep right now. Besides, if I'm to know if I have a shot at a life with Scott, I'm going to have to learn how to live like this."

"Okay, but keep one thing in mind. The most important lessons we learn in life are not learned in one day, one month or even one year. We continually learn, each and every day of our lives."

Sharon held Jeff's gaze for a moment and then turned and stared at the darkened skies outside the window. "I understand what you're trying to say. I wish I could be brave and declare that I'm looking forward to this challenge and the rewards that I stand to gain, but I'm not. Not right now. Yes, there are rewards to be had, but there is a price to be paid. I'm not sure that it's worth it."

"What will it take for you to know?"

She sighed heavily. "I don't know. God knows, I wish I had the answers, but I don't. I just don't."

"Sharon, I wish I could…" Whatever Jeff was going to say was interrupted by Scott's call.

"Mobile Control to command."

Jeff keyed the comm. "Go ahead Mobile Control."

Sharon moved closer to the desk and listened quietly.

"I've met with the local authorities here. The damage is extensive. We're going to be here for a while. I've decided the best course of action is to split up. I've determined three different cities that are in the danger zone. I figured they would be good starting spots. We can use local rescue personnel to help us, and work out to the outlying areas."

"Sounds like a plan. What cities are you going to? And how are you going to split up?"

"I'm going to set up the command center here in the city of Legazpi. I'm planning on keeping Alan and the Firefly here with me. I'm going to assign Virgil and Gordon to Virac on Catanduanes Island."

"What equipment will they have?"

"The Excavator and the Fire Tender. That'll leave the Domo for John. I'll be sending him to the seaside town of Daet."

"Do you have a plan of action?"

"The first step is to set up emergency shelters. We need to find places that are well away from possible falling debris. The aftershocks are still shaking this area pretty good. Hopefully, we can organize enough volunteers to handle the shelters so we can do the actual rescue work."

"Right, Mobile Control, keep me informed of your progress."

"F-A-B"

Once the comm. was disconnected, Jeff looked up at Sharon. "Well, it's a start. I guess we wait…again."

"The hardest part of our jobs," she gave him a wry smile. "I learned that much at least from my life with Mike."

"It's going to be a while. Why don't you stretch out on the sofa and get some rest?"

"Didn't you say that was your spot?"

"How about if we take turns? You go first."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope, we Tracys are a stubborn lot."

"So, I'm learning. Okay, I give in. I'll try to get some sleep, but I expect to be woken up as soon as you hear some more."

"You got it."

"Shouldn't that be F-A-B?"

Jeff rolled his eyes and tried to speak in his gruff, fatherly voice, but the lightness broke through. "Go to sleep. That's an order."

"Yes, sir." She gave him a mock salute and then curled up on her side on the couch. She figured that it would be impossible to go to sleep, but in less than ten minutes, she had drifted off.

Jeff pulled a light blanket out of a hidden closet and covered her with it. Looking into her peaceful face, he murmured to himself. "Oh, Scott, I certainly hope you two can work it out. You deserve to be happy." He went back to his desk and pulled some papers out of his inbox and began to work quietly.

TBTBTBTBTB

Scott locked down mobile control. It had been a long eight hours since they arrived. He was grateful that things had so far gone according to plan. The emergency shelters had been set up. There were a few volunteers helping transport and care for the victims. The fire chief figured there would be more once the sun came up. During the night, he and Alan had cleared about four city blocks. Since the quake happened shortly before nine in the evening (Philippine time), most of the office buildings were empty except for the occasional workaholic and the cleaning crews. The restaurants and apartment buildings were a different story. Even though, realistically, he knew there were going to be casualties, every dead body they pulled out of the buildings seemed as a personal attack against him.

After six hours of work, Scott ordered Alan, Gordon and John to take a four hour rest period. Normally, he would've waited until the eight or even the ten hour mark to order a rest, but they had the fishing trawler rescue with only a few hours of down time before this call came in. He knew that none of his brothers had gotten a good rest during that time. He planned that he and Virgil would take their rest period after the other three came back on duty. He called his father to apprise him of their schedule, and to check on Sharon.

"So, our progress will be cut during this time, but it can't be helped. We need to get some rest."

"It's perfectly understandable. Keep up the good work."

Scott sighed. "I don't know how much good we're doing. The devastation…well…It's just…"

"Scott, we've gone through this…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I have to 'accept the fact that we can't save everyone'. Save the speech. I've given it myself enough times."

"Yet, you still have a hard time believing it."

"I will eventually. It just goes against all I want to accomplish in life. Switching gears, here, how's things back at base?"

"I'll assume you are interested in one new recruit in particular," Jeff used a code just in case someone was eavesdropping on Scott's end.

"That one, and the two 'Junior Thunderbirds' too."

"She spent the night in here quietly observing the operation. She left at breakfast to be with them. I overheard the kids saying they were going to the beach for a picnic lunch. Since it's almost noon, I'm assuming that's where they are."

"Did she get any rest?"

"She slept some in between your reports."

"I hope so. A picnic with the kids can be a handful if she's tired. Did she have any comments about the rescue so far?"

"Not really, I tried asking her some questions, but she didn't really respond. I felt like I was prying, so I stopped."

"All right, then. I have to get back to work. I'll be in the Firefly. Mobile Control, out." He disconnected the comm., and thought about Sharon. He knew that her decision could hang on this rescue. It was either going to alleviate her fears or scare her so badly that she'll never speak to him again. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He headed to the Firefly and the work still ahead of him. He would just have to let fate work things out.

Author's note – Neither of us have ever been to the Philippines. The three cities we named we got off of a map of the area. We did try to do some research on the internet about them. What we found showed them to be was modern and growing cities. If we are wrong, we apologize.

How will Sharon handle this rescue? Will she run into Scott's arms when he returns, or run from the Island? Only time will tell. (Of course, we could tell too, but we won't. hehe)

We hope you are still enjoying the story. Thanks again to our wonderful beta, Lillehafrue. She has been great at fitting it into her busy schedule. Thanks for reading.


	12. Playtime

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note – These next few chapters will cover the same time, but in different locations.

Chapter 12 – Playtime

Back on Tracy Island, Sharon fielded questions from her children about Scott's absence. Since she hadn't made her decision yet about his proposal, she chose to continue with the half-truth that Scott was away on 'family business'.

"But he was gone yesterday," Linda whined. "Why'd he have to go again? I miss him. I want him to play with me. It's not fair."

"I know he would rather be here with us, but unfortunately, grown-ups have other responsibilities that keep us from what we want."

"We're never going to get to take our hike," Nicky griped. "Why'd he want us to come if he wasn't going to be here?"

Sharon wasn't real happy with her children's attitude. What must the Tracys think about her child rearing skills? "Let's be fair. He was here the first few days. It's not his fault that he got called away. He didn't know it was going to happen. Neil's and Christina's dads are also gone. You don't see them complaining."

"But…" Nicky continued.

"No, buts. We can't be selfish, right?" When neither of her children replied, she reiterated. "Right?"

"Yes**, **Ma'am." "Yes, Mom." They chorused. Linda went back to her breakfast, but Nicky asked. "May I be excused?"

Sharon knew that her impatience with the children was largely due to her interrupted sleep, not to mention her worry over Scott. It wasn't fair to take it on them, so she forced herself to keep her voice neutral. "No, you may not be excused. You need to finish more of your breakfast. It'll be a while before lunch. When you're finished we'll find something fun to do. We can go swimming in the pool, or there's that really cool game room. How does that sound?"

Neither child responded very enthusiastically, but before she could respond, Tin-Tin jumped in. "I know something fun. How about we take a picnic lunch down to the beach and spend the day? Would you like that?"

"I guess. Who all would come? Mr. Tracy? Mr. Kyrano? Grandma?" Nicky asked.

"Well, it'd be you guys and Christina and me. Neil, do you want to come?" to which she got a nod. "Maybe, Grandma will come. The path is fairly easy to walk, but I doubt Mr. Tracy will be able to come. He has a lot of work to do. My father will insist on staying with him just in case he needs something, but I'll get him to pack us a really great lunch. Do you like fried chicken? He makes the best 'no-fried' fried chicken. You'd never know that it was healthy for you. We can have pasta and vegetable salads, some fresh fruit. And how about some cookies for dessert?"

Linda's eyes lit up. "Chocolate chip?"

"Of course chocolate chip, as well as oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, double chocolate chunk, sugar cookies, or even homemade Oreos."

"That's a lot of cookies," Nicky commented.

"The Tracys all have their favorites. My father likes to have them on hand at all time. If there's anything else you want for lunch, let me know so we can pack it. After breakfast, go get ready. Make sure you remember the sun block."

The kids went back to eating with gusto. Sharon looked at Tin-Tin. "Thank you so much for the idea. I really didn't know what to do with them, but shouldn't we stay close to the house? You know, just in case…" She lowered her voice. "Something happens to them."

Tin-Tin patted her hand. "Don't worry about that. Even though we are going to be away from the house, we won't be out of communication with Jeff. He'll let us know anything important."

Sharon smiled and nodded. "Okay, then, it sounds like fun."

It only took a half hour to get everything ready and they headed out. Grandma opted not to come, but she promised the kids a special treat when they got back. The women kept an eye on the children as they ran and danced on the trail in front of them while Kyrano followed behind with an anti-grav wagon loaded with the beach accessories. "I'm surprised that your father was able to get everything together on such short notice," Sharon remarked.

"He's used to it. I have this bad habit of waiting until the last minute to ask for things. He's a great sport about it."

"He loves you very much."

"I know, and it's important for me to pass that on to my children."

"I'd say you're on the right track. Christina's a very happy, well-adjusted child given that her father has such a dangerous job."

"Her two fathers"

"Excuse me? Two?"

Tin-Tin flushed with embarrassment. "Obviously, Scott never told you. Alan isn't Christina's biological father. Gordon is."

"Gordon?" Sharon stammered a bit. "You mean you dated Gordon and then Alan?"

"No, I never dated Gordon. It's a long and sordid tale that I'd rather not get into today. How about we keep it for a rainy day?"

Sharon smirked. "Does it ever rain here?"

Tin-Tin laughed. "Oh yes, and when it does, it can be a doozy."

"Maybe I'll see it one day."

"Only maybe?"

Sharon shrugged "Only maybe."

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Only if I have the right to refuse to answer if it's too personal."

"Deal. Just how serious is your relationship with Scott?" Sharon raised an eyebrow, so Tin-Tin hurried on. "When we were told that Scott was bringing a girl out here, we all kind of assumed that it was pretty serious. I mean, he's never done that before. Plus, this morning you seem a bit down. Did something happen?"

"Oh, I just didn't get much sleep last night. Look, here we are at the beach. I'll help your father set everything up. How about you making sure the kids are covered good with the sun block?"

"Nice diversion," Tin-Tin laughed, but went ahead and gathered the children around her. "Okay kids, gather around. We need to go over the rules for the beach."

While Tin-Tin dealt with the children, Sharon and Kyrano set up and awning for shade, along with a table for food and beach chairs for reclining.

"Have you given more thought to our discussion, Miss Sharon?"

"With everything that's been going on, I really haven't had much time to think about anything."

"What do you think of the operation so far?"

"They seem to be well organized. I'll give them that. But it's hard to develop a full appreciation or disgust just on what little I've heard so far."

"I understand. If you feel the need to speak again, I am at your disposal."

"Thank you. I appreciate that." They finished unloading the hover bike. "Are you sure you can't join us? It's a beautiful day."

"Yes, it is, but I prefer to return to the house. I may be needed. I will return later to convey these things back to the house."

"Okay, and if something happens and you need us, we can return immediately."

"Yes, Miss Sharon. I hope it will not be necessary." Kyrano took the hover bike and headed back to the villa.

Sharon stretched out in a beach chair. "I hope so too," She muttered under her breath.

Tin-Tin sat in the chair next to her. "I have them engaged in a sandcastle building contest. Nicky and Christina versus Neil and Linda."

"Sounds like fun, but how are we going to determine a winner?"

"I told them that you were going to be the judge."

Sharon groaned. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Relax, I am joking. I told them we'd both judge them. I figured that we can declare it a tie and make everyone happy."

"Great, so I'm not in this alone. How long do they have to make their castles?"

"Long enough for us to finish our talk."

"You don't give up, do you?"

"I will if that's what you really want. Just tell me to butt out. God knows I have issues I'd rather not talk about. But I can see that something is bothering you. You're whole demeanor has changed literally overnight. I want to help if I can."

Sharon sighed. "I suppose you're the closest person to understand, but you can't totally understand, not really."

"Understand what?"

Sharon pondered a moment before she began. "You're right. Things were going great with Scott. After Mike, I never thought I would ever feel that way about anyone else. So, when he asked us out here to meet the family, well…I assumed that he was ready for the next step."

"And he isn't? Did he say that?"

"Oh no, he's ready, but I'm not sure that I am."

"But were you before you came out to the Island?"

"Sure I was, but that was before I found out his true job."

"Ah, I'm beginning to see, and you're having trouble with it."

"I mean, I can understand why he didn't tell me right away," Sharon hurriedly rambled. "It's not like he could really blurt out that he is a member of International Rescue on our first date, but I'm sure he found some time between then and when he proposed."

Tin-Tin's eyebrows shot up. "He proposed? After he told you about International Rescue?"

"It all kind of came out in one big jumble." Sharon did smirk a bit at the memory. "He was more than a bit nervous."

"I'll bet. Must've been a sight to see."

"Thinking back on it now, I guess it was funny. The ever, in self-control, Scott stumbling over a proposal. But I was so shocked at the whole International Rescue business that I didn't appreciate the humor at the time."

"So, why didn't you think I would understand? You don't think I worry about Alan when he goes out? They've all had their share of close calls."

"You're not helping here."

"The point is, they've all survived their close calls," Tin-Tin stated laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about one of the early rescues. The guys were trying to save a scientist and his household from giant alligators."

"Giant alligators? What in the world? Sounds like something out of a horror movie. Do I dare ask how these alligators grew to be so big?"

"The scientist was trying to develop a serum to make plants grow bigger and faster, in an effort to end world hunger, but some of it got in the river and to the alligators."

"And, bam! Giant alligators."

"Right, and during the rescue, Alan was supposed to lure the alligators away from the house, but he fell off the hoverbike and knocked himself out."

"Oh my God, that must've been terrible!"

"Luckily, they were close enough to Thunderbird Two, and Gordon was able to take out the alligators with the tranq gun."

Sharon's brow furrowed in confusion. "Okay, I get your point that they work together to protect each other. I'm sure that's why you told it, but I guess I missed the humorous part of it."

"Jeez, that's because I didn't tell you it. While they were out on the rescue, I was on the mainland getting Alan his birthday present. Without knowing what had happened, I proudly gave it to him when he got back, a pigmy alligator."

Sharon laughed along with Tin-Tin. "All right, now I see the humor of it. What did Alan do with it?"

"Once he got over the shock, he kept her for a few months. He named her Daisy. Eventually, he felt sorry for her being penned up all the time. So, he donated her to a re-habitation program."

"That's where they release them back into the wild, right?"

"Right, Daisy herself was too domesticated to be safely released, but she was bred and her offspring were released."

"I wonder if any of them survived. The wild is a pretty unforgiving place."

"They were tagged. I'm sure that the breeders have records of that. Well, now that we've rested, how about we check out the progress of the sandcastles?"

"You got it, girl."

The two of them oohed and aahed over the two castles. In the end they declared that both were so well done that they couldn't choose between them. It was a tie. Afterwards, they took a walk along the beach. The kids waded and collected sea shells as they went along. Linda even found a sand dollar. They made their way back to the picnic area, and the kids played a bit more, splashing around in the water, before lunch.

Tin-Tin kept an eye on the kids while Sharon got the food out of the cooler. Once it was done she called to them. "Okay, guys, time to eat."

The kids charged up the beach, bickering as they did.

"Yeah"

"All right, I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry."

"Says you."

"Oh, yeah, well you…"

"That's enough guys. No fighting," Sharon broke in. "This all looks really good, so eat up." The meal was completed in playful banter and joke telling. It felt good to Sharon to sit back, relax and laugh. At this point, she entertained the thought that it just might work for her and Scott.

They spent another hour at the beach after they finished eating.

"It's time to go, kids. Let's pack up the toys," Tin-Tin called to them.

"Aw, do we have to?" Linda, Nicky, and Christina practically cried in unison. Neil obediently began packing up.

"Don't argue kids," Sharon told them. "We've been here for a while. It's time we go back and rest a while."

"But we're not tired," Nicky continued to argue.

"Well, I am. So, we all take a rest."

"That don't make sense."

Sharon ruffled her son's hair. "It'll make sense when you're older. But for right now, please do as you're told."

Nicky went to help the others but still mumbled under his breath. "You always say that."

While they were packing up, Kyrano appeared to help them. Sharon looked at Tin-Tin. "Did you call him?"

Tin-Tin shook her head. "Nope, he just has this sixth sense about things like this. His timing is impeccable."

"I should ask him his secret. With two kids, I could use some impeccable timing."

Tin-Tin laughed. "I know the feeling, and I only have one right now. Unfortunately, it's not something that can be taught, or even inherited."

The group continued packing things and helping get them on the wagon. Again it wasn't long before they were back at the house. Sharon was surprised to find that Grandma had thought along the same lines as she had. The seats in the theater room had been moved to the side and mattresses, pillows and blankets occupied the middle of the floor.

"Thank you, Grandma," Tin-Tin told her. "It's exactly what we were thinking about. Now, if we can just get them to all agree on a movie, we'll be all set."

"Let me handle that, dear. You two go talk to Jeff. I know you both want an update."

Tin-Tin gave her a kiss. "What would we ever do without you?"

"You'll never have to find out. I plan to live forever." The two younger women laughed at Grandma's calm, matter-of-fact, yet outlandish statement.

Sharon gave her a quick hug. "Thank you for helping out here."

Grandma gave her a pat on the back. "I'm happy to help. Now, go on. Get out of here."

"Yes ma'am. We'll be back soon," Tin-Tin said.

"Linda, Nicky, behave. I expect a good report when I get back," Sharon told her children.

"You too, Christina," Tin-Tin added.

"Yes, mom", "Okay", "Right", the children chorused as their mothers left the room. The last thing they heard as the door slid closed was Grandma taking control of the situation. "Okay, kids, here is what…"

Author's Note - Convert remembers when she was young, arguing about nap time, getting the line. "I'm tired, so you have to take a nap." It never seemed fair, until she had kids. The first time she said it to her kids, it was like..."Gee, when did my mother get here?"

All right, not a lot of action in this chapter, just kind of a fill in, but we hope you enjoyed it anyways. A big, huge thank you goes out to our wonderful beta, Lillehafrue, who took the time to fit us in between her very busy schedule. Thank you, thank you, thank you.


	13. Heartbreak

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 13 – Heartbreak

For his first rest period, Scott stretched out on the collapsible bunk set up in the cargo hold on Thunderbird One, groaning as he let his eyes drift closed. His mind ran in many different directions ranging from what they've already handled to the areas that still needed to be reached, and things still needing to be done.

Scott rolled over and mentally smacked himself. He needed to clear his mind if he was ever going to get some sleep. He forced the business issues from his thoughts only to have Sharon replace them. He knew that her decision on his proposal would hang on this rescue. He saw her in the lounge when he left. According to his Dad, she had been following the rescue until the kids had gotten up this morning. This rescue was either going to alleviate her fears or scare her so badly that she'll never speak to him again. Hoping for the best, he allowed himself to fantasize about a family life with Sharon and her children. He took a deep breath and finally felt his body start to relax and his daydreams drift into slumber.

After his rest period was over, Scott went back to work. Even with the progress that had been made, there was still much more work to be done. Most of the fires had been taken care of, but there were so many people still missing. Scott fervently hoped that they had found safe areas that had plenty of air and stable enough to withstand the aftershocks to wait for a rescue. He knew, though, in all reality, that the ratio of dead bodies to live victims would only increase.

Scott drove around the area with the fire chief, scanning the collapsed buildings for possible victims, and coordinating a plan of action. His heart sank when after an hour or so, they came upon a damaged hospital.

"Was this hospital in operation?" He scanned the building as he spoke.

The fire chief nodded as he tried to maneuver the car around the debris to get closer to the building. "It is a charity hospital."

"Damn, why wasn't I told about this?"

"I didn't think to check on this one when I did the others. Besides, there were fires all over. You needed to take care of those first."

"Only _after_ all the people were out of danger. _Lives_ always take precedent! You should've at least told me about this hospital. These people may be medically fragile! They should've been evacuated and taken to another hospital!"

"But they are here because they cannot afford another hospital."

Scott paused for a moment, his anger rising. "And that means they aren't worth rescuing?"

The chief shrugged. "I don't make the rules."

"Whatever," Scott mumbled as he climbed out of the car. Keying the comm, he called Alan. "Lock onto my coordinates and get here ASAP. We have a hospital to clear."

"A hospital? How'd we miss that?"

Scott did nothing to hide the disgust in his voice. "We weren't told about it because it's just a charity hospital."

"Damn, how bad is it?"

"From what I can see of the outside, it has suffered pretty severe structural damage. Being a 'charity hospital', they probably haven't been able to keep up with the necessary repairs. There's no telling what it's like on the inside, but my scanner shows there are people still alive in the building."

The fire chief interrupted Scott. "Some people have gotten out. The medical staff has set up a treatment area on the far side of the building."

"Great," Scott nodded. "Did you hear that, Alan?"

"Yeah, I did. How are they doing on supplies? Do we need to bring Two back?"

"Hang on a minute," Scott turned to the fire chief. "Well?"

The chief shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't talk to them. I only saw them from across the parking lot."

Scott turned away, rolled his eyes and mumbled. "You're just a well-spring of information."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing…just talking to myself. Alan, I don't have that information yet. I'll check into it. If we need Two's medical bay, I'll give Virg a call. But we do need to clear this building."

"F-A-B, I'm on my way."

"Okay, see you in a few." Scott cut the comm link. Turning back to the fire chief, he continued. "I'm going to check in with the medical workers." He stalked away without waiting for an acknowledgement from the chief.

He followed behind Scott. "Look, I just want you to know that just because you rescue these people, doesn't mean you can force another hospital to take them."

Scott whirled around angrily. "Are you still on that? Can't you understand that a person is more than their ability to pay a hospital bill? I'm sure that none of those people asked to be sick."

"And can you understand that _I_ don't make the rules?" The chief snapped back. "It's just how it is. Besides, I wouldn't be too sure they're not asking for it. Three meals a day, being waited on by a nurse, medication, plenty of attention, all on someone else's dime…it's better than they get at home."

"I'm going to try to forget you just said that. But, don't worry about the hospital bills. International Rescue will arrange for payment. That'll make everyone happy, especially you."

Scott continued to walk away. The chief paused a moment and then ran to catch up to him. "Hey, hey, I want you to know that it's not like I agree with them. I'm not prejudice or anything."

"Sure, you're not."

"I'm not," the chief protested vehemently. "I'm just…"

Scott whirled on him, his eyes flashing with anger. "You're just the one who 'forgot' to tell us about the hospital. After all, it's just a charity hospital. And, after your last comment, I'd day you're pretty damn prejudiced. Now, do us both a favor. Please quit talking. I'm trying to remain professional even though I find your attitude appalling." By that time, they had reached the group, and Scott introduced himself. "I'm from International Rescue. Can I talk to whoever is in charge?"

An older gentleman approached and spoke with a thick accent. "I think that would be me. I'm Dr. Teodoro. I'm the head of the emergency department. We haven't been able to find the hospital administrator."

"Is it possible he's still in the building?"

"I suppose it's possible, but I'd doubt it. Let's just say that he's not one of those people married to their job."

Scott nodded. "I see. So, where do we stand?"

"We've been able to evacuate the whole first floor and about a third of the second. The rest of the floor and the third are blocked."

"We've got equipment that will get us in there. How about your supplies? Do you need anything?"

"Some bandages and IV solutions. We may need more once you start pulling people out."

"Hopefully, by then, we'll have them on their way to another hospital."

Dr. Teodoro gave him a wry look. "Unfortunately, these people have no other place to go. This is a charity hospital, you see."

"Yes, I was made aware of that, but as I told Chief Aquino here, International Rescue will handle payments to the new hospital."

"You would really do that?" The doctor asked in shock.

At that moment, Alan appeared with the firefly. "Excuse me, I need to confer with my colleague," Scott told the doctor.

"Of course, and I'll be back with my patients if you need me again." The two went in separate directions.

Fire chief Aquino paused for a moment and then trotted after Scott. "What should I do?"

Scott rolled his eyes. Trying to keep the irritation out of his voice, he spoke. "First, get some rescue personnel here. We're going to need some help clearing the building. Then, arrange for transportation for the victims to other hospitals."

"Okay," the chief nodded and headed back to his car.

Alan jogged over and met Scott. "What've we got?"

"The second and third floors need to be evacuated. Let's do a quick scan of the first floor just to make sure they didn't miss anyone. Take any victims to the far side of the hospital. There is a treatment area set up over there."

Scott and Alan grabbed the emergency equipment. Scott sent some of the local personnel along with the medical supplies to help Dr. Teodoro. The rest of the workers were divided into two groups, each one taking a floor.

Over the next hour, they worked their way through the building. Scott was happy with each live victim they came across, but he was saddened by the fact that the dead outweighed the living by almost two to one. He couldn't help but wonder how many could've been saved if they had gotten to this hospital quicker. Once he and his group had cleared the second floor, he contacted Alan. "How's it going, Alan?"

"We're getting there. We only have the pediatric unit to do now. It's really bad up here, Scott. We've only found seventeen alive so far."

"How many dead?"

"I quit counting. It's too depressing. How's it going on your floor?"

"We are done. We did a little better with live victims than it sounds like you did. Do you want us to come up and help?"

"I don't think so. There's a lot of debris up here. By the time you'd make your way through, we'll be done."

"What is your scanner showing?"

"I'm not sure. There are a couple of life signs that keep flickering in and out. I'm hoping that there's some kind of interference affecting it."

"Alan, you know the chances of that are…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but I gotta hope. Otherwise, it means…"

"Right, I understand. Keep me informed."

"F-A-B"

Scott and his group made their way outside. He was pleasantly surprised that the fire chief had finally stepped up and had some ambulances to transfer the patients. "I see you must've made some arrangements."

"Yes, sir, I found two hospitals and a rehabilitation center to take the victims. The only problem we have is transportation. They only released a handful of ambulances. At this rate, it will take us…well, I don't have to tell you. You can do the math."

Scott bit back an angry retort. It really bothered him that this guy was suddenly acting concerned about these people after ignoring them for so long. Talk about being two-faced. "I'll see what I can do." He walked a few feet away and contacted Virgil. "How's it going, Virgil?"

"Pretty busy, what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to know if you could bring Two over here to transport some survivors of a damaged hospital to another."

"Are the victims stable?"

"I think for the most part they are."

"Then I should probably stay here. We're in the middle of something. I don't think Gordon would appreciate it if I took off, but then, if you or Alan came to replace me. That could work."

"Nah, that's okay. I'll figure something else out. Inform me of any changes. Talk to you later."

"F-A-B, and be careful, Scott."

Scott smiled. "Always am."

"Uh-huh," Virgil laughed. "Later." He then disconnected the call.

Scott moved back to the fire chief. "Well, the bad news is that Thunderbird Two can't come and help us move these people. So, if these are the only ambulances that the hospital can spare, what about private ambulatory services?"

"Let me check with my office and get some numbers."

"You do that, and let me know. I'm going to check in with Dr. Teodoro."

Scott met up with the doctor. "How many of these patients have to be transported in a prone position?"

"What are you thinking of?"

"I was thinking that maybe we can use vans or buses to transport the least critical patients."

The doctor thought for a moment. "Uhm, let's see. Most of them have IVs, but as long as we can secure them, I would say that about half of them can be transported in a sitting position, as long as there is adequate medical personnel with them."

"Finally, some news I can work with. Let me get on that."

Scott wanted to put Chief Aquino on getting buses or vans, but before he could talk to the chief, Alan and his team vacated the hospital. He could tell that his baby brother was very upset. There was only one thing to upset him like that. The pediatric unit must have been heart breaking. He placed a hand on Alan's shoulder. "That bad?"

"Worse," Alan replied with a heavy sigh. Scott waited silently for him to continue which he did after a few moments. "They were all dead, every child, nurse, and doctor, not a single person alive."

"It happens."

"Yeah, but it was so sad, Scott."

"Remember, we can't save everyone."

"I'm getting real tired of that cliché."

"It may seem like it's just a cliché right now, but it is the truth. It'll take some time, but eventually, you will realize it."

Alan's voice choked with emotion. "Little kids, Scott. They were just little kids."

"I know, Alan. I know."

At that moment, Chief Aquino joined them. He clapped his hands together. "Great news, I got another four ambulances and even another two nurses to help with the evacuation. How did you guys do?"

Alan's anger exploded. He grabbed the chief by the front of his shirt and lifted him up until just the tips of his toes brushed the ground. Shaking him, Alan growled out. "You lousy son of a…How dare you act like you care!"

Scott tried to pull Alan off. "What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind? Let him go!"

Alan ignored his brother, continuing to yell. "If we had known earlier, maybe we could've saved some of them! We could've…!"

Chief Aquino joined with Scott, trying to free himself. "What are you talking about?"

"Kids…little kids! They had their whole lives ahead of them. How about their families? How would you feel if they were yours? Huh? Tell me!"

Scott got close to Alan's ear and spoke in a low but forceful tone. "I'm giving you a direct order. Let him go and walk away. Now!"

Alan looked at Scott as he slowly released his hold on the fire chief. "F-A-B". He turned and stalked away.

The chief indignantly straightened his clothes and brushed at the dirt smudges left by Alan's grip, all the while blustering, "What is wrong with that man? I _thought_ you people were supposed to be professionals. Really, if you think that just because…"

Scott turned on him shooting him angry daggers. "I would suggest you shut up before I let my colleague come back here and finish the job."

"How dare you threaten me? What gives you or even your man, for that matter, the right to do that?"

"I will deal with 'my man' about his outburst. But as for why he did it, he just came from a ward of dead children. You'd have to have a heart made of stone not to have that affect you."

"But to attack me? That was unnecessary."

"How many of these deaths were 'unnecessary'? My man was right about one thing. We'll never know how many could've been saved if we had gotten to this hospital sooner. If _you_ had checked into this hospital's condition…Let's just say that makes you the easiest one to blame, and not just by us. The victim's families will also blame you."

Chief Aquino looked at him in alarm. "You're not going to tell them, are you?"

Scott shook his head. "No, I'm not. I won't be responsible for political discord, but something like this always has a way of coming out. I don't envy your position when this is all over." The extra ambulances began to arrive. Scott softened his tone a bit. "Look, I know you're trying your best in this ungodly situation. I'm sorry if I've sounded harsh. I know you're just as frustrated as we are. Why don't you help the doctor with this group of evacuees? I have another lecture to deliver."

The chief nodded. "It's not easy, is it?" Scott gave him a quizzical look, so he added. "Disciplining your subordinates."

Scott sighed. "No, it's not, especially when they are hurting. Speaking of that, your men must be hurting too. After seeing so much death and destruction, how could they not? I hope you'll have some help for them when this is all said and done."

"I'll make sure of it."

Scott nodded and walked away. He met up with Alan near the firefly. "We need to talk."

"I know what you're going to say," Alan replied in a depressed tone. "And you're right. I shouldn't have taken my anger and frustration out on him. It was unprofessional."

"Screw professional. I want to know if you're all right. This isn't like you. What's going through that head of yours, little brother?"

"I wish I could explain, Scott. It was just so hard. Maybe, it's because I'm a father, but seeing those eleven dead children. My God, eleven…some only Christina's age…some even younger…it was…I mean…I should've…never mind, it doesn't matter."

"It _does_ matter. It's obviously bothering you a lot."

"I guess what really upset me was there was a nurse holding a toddler in her arms. They were near the emergency exit. She was trying to get them out. It was her last act, trying to save that baby. She didn't make it. If we had gotten here earlier, we could've…"

"You can't think like that."

Alan's voice cracked with anguish. "Scott, that baby was still warm. He probably died within the last hour, maybe only a matter of minutes. We could've saved him. I _know_ that we could've saved at least him. We probably could've saved others." He rubbed a hand over his face. "God, I can't even imagine what that little boy was thinking spending his last few hours in the arms of a dead woman."

"We can only hope that he was unaware of the situation."

"Right that is the _only_ thing to do. We obviously couldn't help them any other way." Alan snapped in an angry, yet defeated tone.

Scott wanted to pull his brother into a hug and wash away his pain, but he knew that such a public display would raise unwanted questions. He settled for placing both hands on Alan's shoulders and looking deeply into his eyes. "Look, we can only do our best. We didn't know about this hospital. Once we did, we did everything we could for these people. You can't ask for more. Besides, you don't know what was wrong with the little boy. Getting here earlier may not have done anything to change the outcome. You can't swell on 'what ifs'."

"You're right. I know. It's not easy…"

Scott cut him off. "I understand. We've all been there. Look, I know it's a bit early, but why don't you take another rest period."

"But it's only been six hours since the last one."

"I know. It was only six hours from when we got here to when I ordered the first rest period, so take it now. I really think it's for the best."

"But I'll be out of sync with the others."

"Quit arguing with me, and let me deal with it. That is my job after all," Scott teased.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Alan, stop. I was only teasing," Scott replied. "You really do need a break, if you couldn't tell that. So, head back to one and get some rest. Center yourself. Maybe make a call. I happen to know a little girl who can brighten any dark corner with her smile."

Alan gave a small smile. "She does have a way about her. Just look at how she's got her uncles wrapped around her fingers."

Scott laughed. "Not to mention her fathers."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Alan tried to look innocent but failed miserably.

Scott shook his head. "Get outta here before I change my mind."

The two brothers started going in separate directions, but Alan stopped after a few steps. "Scott," he called. Scott turned to face him. "Thanks…for everything."

Scott nodded. "Anytime, little brother, anytime."

Author's Note: Poor Alan, must have been hard clearing a children's ward. Now, we are not trying to imply that any government would purposely put money ahead of lives, but there was a time in the past that it did happen. So, we took a little poetic license to give Alan a chance at some "righteous indignation".

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next week, bye.


	14. Back on the Island

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 14 – Back on the Island

Tin-Tin and Sharon spent an hour in the lounge getting caught up on the rescue.

"It sounds like they're doing good," Sharon said. "It actually seems like it's pretty straightforward."

Jeff nodded. "Most of them are. I know the media tends to play it up as something spectacular, but it really isn't."

"But you have all the fantastic machines."

"That only makes it easy on us. They don't make us any more special."

"I guess I never thought of it that way."

"Most people don't. So, are there any other questions?"

"Do they have an estimated departure time yet?" Tin-Tin asked.

"If everything goes as planned, another twenty-four to thirty-six hours, Scott figures," Jeff answered. Tin-Tin nodded in response. Jeff continued. "I know your move date is next week. Do you need help with your packing? Anything you need to do?"

Tin-Tin shook her head. "There's not really much to do. We're renting a fully furnished apartment, so the only things we have to pack is our clothes and Christina's favorite toys. That stuff can't be done until right before we leave. I'm just really missing Alan right now. Chalk it up to hormones."

Jeff laughed. "I still remember those. Poor Lucy, they made her so weepy. Her pregnancy with Gordon was the worst. At Christmas time, it got to where she couldn't watch TV or even listen to the radio. The 'sappy' movies and the 'tender' carols sent her over the edge all the time. There was even a coffee commercial that made her cry every time she saw it."

"Coffee?" Sharon joined in the laughter. "What could be so upsetting about coffee?"

"I don't remember all of it. I just remember it making her cry."

"I'm glad I wasn't that bad during my pregnancies."

"You probably were and are in denial. Lucy swore that I over exaggerated the situation."

"Maybe you did," Tin-Tin teased. "We all know how famous men are with their stories. A caught fish 'grows' with each telling of the story."

"That maybe true, but I'm not exaggerating about this, and I think deep down, Lucy knew that she was over emotional. She was just embarrassed by it. Don't get me wrong. She had her emotions, and she was demonstrative of them, but she wasn't normally a 'weepy' person. That's what she had the most problem with."

"If you say so," Linda said. "Well, I'd better go check in on the kids. Unfortunately, I know how mine can be when they're tired."

"But they're not tired," Tin-Tin quipped. "Nicky was very adamant about that."

"And if you really believe that, you're not ready to be the mother of three."

Tin-Tin rubbed her protruding stomach. "I think it's a little late to change it."

"Maybe you both should get some rest," Jeff suggested. "You were up and down all night, Sharon, and Tin-Tin, it's never a bad idea for a woman in your condition to get extra rest."

"I think I'll join the kids," Sharon replied. "I'm sure that I can find some floor space. It'll be like the slumber parties I had as a teenager. I wonder what movie Grandma convinced them to watch."

"Sounds like fun," Tin-Tin added. "It's not like I had a lot of slumber parties growing up."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Jeff asked. "Will you be able to get up off the floor?"

Tin-Tin gave him an impish grin. "If I can't, call International Rescue."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "I know when I'm beat. Get outta here you two. I'll let you know if anything changes on the rescue front."

The two women laughed as they left. When they reached the theater room, they were happy to see that most of the kids were asleep. Only Neil was still awake watching the old Disney classic, _Finding Nemo._ What surprised them the most, was the two cots set up with pillows and blankets, just waiting for the occupants.

"What in the world is this?" Tin-Tin asked.

"I just thought you two may also like to get some rest along with the children," Grandma replied.

"Gee, where did we hear that before?" Sharon smirked. "Are you and your son in cahoots?"

Grandma shook her head. "We must think alike. I figured that with what's been going on, neither of you has had much rest."

"But these weren't here earlier," Sharon argued. "How'd they get here?"

"Okay, I confess," Grandma sighed. "I wasn't quite ready when you got back. Kyrano brought them in for me. The children helped me make them up."

"You're such a dear." Tin-Tin gave her another hug. "We are so spoiled."

"That's my job. Now, you two go ahead and lay down. If we don't quit all this chatting, the kids will be up."

"What about you?" Sharon asked. "Are you going to nap with up?"

"In a manner of speaking, I'm going to sit back here with my knitting, but I'll probably fall asleep after a few rows. I usually do. That's why it takes me so long to finish a project."

The ladies laughed. "Okay, nap time. One hour of uninterrupted sleep, here I come," Sharon sighed.

"Aw, man, now you did it," Tin-Tin groaned. "We'll never get to sleep now."

"You two are worse than the children," Grandma pretended to scold them. "No more talking. Into your cots. Close your eyes. Go to sleep."

Sharon and Tin-Tin snickered and dutifully replied in unison "Yes, ma'am". They each stretched out and in a few minutes were asleep. True to her word, Grandma took up her knitting, and shortly her eyes were closed, head nodding, and snoring softly.

Contrary to Tin-Tin's prediction, they did get a little over an hour of sleep before the kids woke up. They got an afternoon snack of fresh fruit, and then went outside to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Neil and Nicky swam for a bit and then played some board games while Christina and Linda played with their dolls together.

TBTBTBTBTB

Shortly before dinner, Christina and Tin-Tin took a call from Alan. Christina happily chatted about her day, the picnic at the beach, the new sea shells she found, the sand castle building contest, (which she proudly claimed victory for) even down to taking a nap on the theater room floor. Alan had to admit that he did feel better after talking to his daughter.

Once Christina had relived her day, Tin-Tin sent her back to play with the other children. She could tell something bothering him. She sat down in front of the comm. unit. "Has it been that bad?"

"It's had its ups and downs."

"Alan," she said, giving him the look that said she knew there was more to it.

Alan sighed and brushed a stray lock of hair away from his face. "We just cleared a damaged hospital. I had the unfortunate luck to get the children's ward."

Tin-Tin now understood the cause of his distress. "Were there any survivors?"

Alan shook his head. "No, but enough depressing talk. So, Christina won the sand castle building contest?"

Laughing, Tin-Tin shook her head. "It was actually a tie. We didn't want to favor one group over the other, but she took it as a win."

"Then, you don't think that we have the next Frank Lloyd Wright on our hands?"

"I wouldn't bet the farm on it."

"How about you? How are you feeling? Are the boys behaving themselves?"

"Oh sure, when they're not wrestling around, kicking my ribs, or sitting on my bladder, they're as good as gold."

"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?"

"Ooh, you're quick there."

"And just think, you've only got…"

Tin-Tin held a hand up. "Don't…don't say it. I don't want to even think about how much farther I have to go. I'm very aware of the time frame. All I can think about is how fat I am, and how much more weight I'm going to gain. I don't need to be reminded. Thank you very much."

"Let me remind you of something else, just in case you've forgotten."

"What?" Her voice held a trace of exasperation.

"I love you. To me, you are the most intelligent, loving, beautiful, wonderful woman in the world."

"Oh, Alan," Tin-Tin shook her head. "I don't know what to say. That is so sweet."

"Hey, you're acting like I'm never sweet."

"I guess I wasn't expecting it. You're pretty busy, and after the hospital…"

"I can't help it. After seeing all that death, I feel the need to voice my feelings."

"I understand. I love you too. I hate to say this, but we've been talking a while. Since this is your rest period, I'd better let you get some."

"Hopefully, this won't last much longer, and we'll be home. Take care. I'll see you soon."

"And, you be careful too. I want you to make it home."

Alan gave her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am, I love you. Goodbye." He disconnected the call and stared at the blank screen for a few seconds. He forced himself to grab a quick bite to eat and then stretched out and fell asleep.

Tin-Tin reached a hand out a placed it on the blank screen. Tears unwittingly filled her eyes. Damn hormones. "Stay safe, my love," she murmured. She took a deep breath and forced her crazy emotions back down. She ran her hand over her protruding stomach where the twins had been tumbling around for the past half hour. "And you two…behave, or I'm telling your daddy on you." She stood and made her way out of their suite, joining the rest of the family for the evening.

Author's Note – The story of "Lucy" crying so much at Christmas due to pregnancy hormones was based on Convert's second pregnancy. And yes, she cried at a coffee commercial. She still remembers it even though it was almost 18 years ago. It was the one where a young man sneaks into his parent's home and makes coffee to wake them up. This past Christmas, she noticed that it was remade but still sappy.

We realize this was a short chapter, but it just worked out that way. Hope you enjoyed it anyways.


	15. Disappearance

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 15 – Disappearance

Scott made himself comfortable on the cot. It was now his second rest period. Alan and John had just finished theirs. Because of the timing and where they were in their rescue, Gordon and Virgil couldn't take their breaks at the same time as the rest of them. Gordon had been on his break for about 2 ½ hours, and Virgil would take his when Gordon returned. Scott sighed. He was not only physically exhausted, but emotionally. There were so many people demanding his attention. Everyone seemed to think their issues are more important than the others, and after the charity hospital debacle, he had to fight to keep his professionalism in check. He probably would never admit it to anyone, but he was glad that he called for the rest periods. It only took about ten minutes before he drifted off.

A beeping sound broke through Scott's sleep induced haze. He realized it was the alarm on his watch. He glanced at the time before he connected the comm. "I've only been on break for forty-two minutes, Alan. This had better be good."

Alan's face was pale. "Oh God, Scott, we've got a major problem. There's been another quake, and…"

"Another quake?" Scott interrupted, rubbing his eyes, trying to wake up. "Are you sure that it's not just another aftershock?"

Alan rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Yes, I'm sure. It's been confirmed, but that's not the point. John's down."

Scott was instantly alert. "What'd you mean, 'John's down'? What happened?"

"From the intel that I've gotten this far, this new quake cause a tsunami that hit Daet."

"Damn it," Scott sat up abruptly and pulled his boots on. "Have we heard anything at all from Daet? What about John's personal transponder? What about the Domo? Any readings?"

Alan shook his head. "Nothing from John's transponder and the Domo…well, I'm really hoping that it's wrong."

"Why's that?"

"According to my readings, the Domo is two hundred yards out to sea."

"Damn, damn, damn," Scott exclaimed. "Lock down Mobile Control and get back here as fast as you can. We're heading to Daet to see what's going on."

"What about the people here?"

"I would say that getting hit by a tsunami automatically moves Daet to the head of the line, don't you? Now, no more questions. Just get here. I want to lift off ASAP."

"F-A-B, I'm locking down Mobile Control as we speak. I'll be there shortly."

Scott cut communication with Alan and switched to Virgil. "Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Two, come in Virgil."

It took a few moments before Virgil replied. "Hey there Scott, I take it you heard about the new quake?"

"Yeah, I did. Listen…"

"And you're calling for an update on our situation. Well, the good news is that all the new damage is in areas that had been cleared, so no new injuries."

"That's good to hear, but it's…"

"Hopefully, this'll be the last quake for a while. I mean the aftershocks are bad enough…"

"Virgil, shut up!"

Virgil looked at his brother in surprise. Sure Scott had told him to 'shut up' when they were fighting or even joking around back home, but not on a rescue. He is too much of a professional for that. "Scott?"

"I need you and Gordon to head to Daet immediately. That new quake caused a tsunami that hit the city."

"Oh my God, is John okay?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Scott saw Alan climbing into the jump seat. "I don't know. We haven't been able to reach him. All I know is that the Domo has been washed out to sea."

"Oh, shit! Gordon is still on his rest period. So we can head out as soon as I get back to Two."

"Hang on, Virg. Are you okay to fly? You haven't had your rest period yet. Maybe Gordon should do it."

"I'm fine, don't worry about it. I take it you're going to meet us there."

"You'd better believe it. Alan's already here. So we're taking off now. See you there."

"F-A-B," Virgil replied as the comm. was disconnected.

Scott hit the thruster control and Thunderbird One rose into the air. He hated the fact that he couldn't go to maximum thrust, but with Alan in the jump seat, he had to maintain horizontal flight which henceforth meant a slower flight speed. He was dreading calling his dad, but he knew he had to do it. Taking a deep breath, he keyed the comm. again. "Thunderbird One to Command Central," he tried to reach his father directly. Unfortunately, he did not receive an immediate answer. Switching frequencies, he called again. "Thunderbird One to Triple C, come in, please."

Brains answered immediately. "G-go ahead Thunderb-b-bird One."

"Brains, I need to talk to Dad. He didn't answer when I tried to contact him direct. Can you get him for me?"

"It is l-l-late here. Earlier he told me he was g-g-going to get s-s-some rest. He may still b-be asleep."

"You'll have to wake him if he is. It's important. We have a possible team emergency."

"R-r-right away, Scott."

Alan looked out the window, grateful that it wasn't him that had to tell their father that John was missing. He already was fighting against the knot in his gut. He always got one when there was a close call. Even though they've always squeaked through, he couldn't help but wonder if this would be the time that they pushed fate too hard, that their luck finally ran out, that they would finally lose one of their own. He felt so helpless. The only thing he could do at that particular moment was to pray.

Time seemed to drag as they waited for their father to get on the comm. Finally, it came alive with Jeff's worried face. "Scott, what's wrong. Brains said there was an emergency."

Suddenly, the calm, cool, constructive report that Scott had put together in his head flew right out of his mind. "Dad, it's John. We lost contact with him after the city was hit by a tsunami."

Jeff's face blanched, but he held his fear in check. "All right, all right, before we panic too badly, what are the chances of this just being a simple communication break down?"

"It's always a possibility, but you know as well as I do what the likelihood of that is. What I do know is that he's not answering his comm. Also the transponder in the watch is not relaying his bio-signs, which is what is really confusing to me. I mean the only time we ever lost the comm in a watch was Gordon's two years ago, but the transponder still worked."

"That doesn't mean anything. Who knows what could've gone wrong with John's watch. Heck, he might have just taken it off for some reason."

"John wouldn't do that. He knows how important of a link it is. And since the Domo was washed out to sea…"

"It was what?"

"Right, I hadn't got that far. Apparently, the tsunami washed the Domo out into the ocean. We are on our way to fish it out. Hopefully, we'll find John inside and have a good laugh over all this."

Jeff heard a gasp and looked up just in time to see Neil's retreating back. "Neil? Neil, wait a minute." He didn't get a reply. "Scott, I have to handle this. Keep me informed."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird One out." Scott disconnected the comm. Silence dominated the cabin for a few minutes until Alan spoke up.

"Do you really think that John is in the Domo?"

"Speculating at this point would serve no useful purpose."

"What about Neil? You think he's gonna be okay?"

Scott remained silent, worried about how Neil was handling all this. Plus he was feeling guilty for asking Sharon to put her own children in the same predicament. What a selfish jerk he is.

Alan had his own interpretation of his brother's silence and sighed. "Yeah, I thought so."

"We're coming up on the Domo," Scott announced. "It's not directly off shore from the city. It's a bit to the east. I don't know if that's where John was working or if the wave pushed it there. Anyways, I'm going to leave the area near the shore open for Virgil. I hope you don't mind walking."

"Just get us down."

Scott found a spot to set Thunderbird One down a few blocks inland. They took in the devastation as they exited the ship.

"God, Scott, how could anyone survive this?" Alan asked in a horrified whisper.

Scott understood the true unspoken question: How could John survive? Clearing his throat, he pushed his own fears down. "It depends. If they were outside, it would take a miracle for them to survive. If they were in a building, well, that would depend on its structural stability."

Scott's watch beeped. "Go ahead, Virgil."

"Scott, we're about three minutes out. What's the plan?"

"It's real easy. Attach the tow lines to the Domo and drag it to shore. Alan and I are on our way there. Depending on what we find…" Scott's voice trailed off.

"Got it. See you in a minute. Thunderbird Two out."

As soon as the comm was cut, Alan nudged Scott, pointing at two approaching men. "We've got company."

Scott nodded. "That's a good sign. There are some survivors at least."

"Oh, thank God, you're here," The first man said. "I'm Levi Bello and this is Patrick Amora. As you can see we've suffered a lot of damage. Where do you think we should start?"

Scott shook his head. "We'll have to get back with you on that. Right now, we already have another job."

"Excuse me?" Patrick snapped. "What kind of job would be more important? I mean, look around at all this devastation. I am a police officer here, and I'm ordering you to…"

Alan rolled his eyes as he interrupted. "We don't have to explain ourselves to you. We are an independent agency that doesn't answer to any government or their agencies."

"Enough, Alan," Scott broke in, cutting his brother off. Turning to the others, he continued. "Look, it may not make sense to everybody, but we do have our own system of priorities."

"Especially when it comes to life and death," Alan muttered.

Alan thought he had said it softly enough, but the men heard him.

Patrick's face flushed with anger as he continued his tirade. "I _am_ talking about life and death. What do you think happened here? I'll tell you. People _died_! People are _still_ dying! We need help finding the victims and getting them medical attention. Are you trying to tell me that you have something that's a higher priority? If so, then you guys…"

"You don't know anything about us or our jobs," Alan countered, his own anger reaching its boiling point.

Scott once again found himself between two bull headed males. "All right, all right, we are not going to accomplish anything by arguing. I'm sorry, Mr. Amora. We don't normally explain our reasons, but this one time I'm going to make an exception. We had an operative working here before the tsunami. He's now missing, and our equipment has been washed out into the ocean. As much as I want to find our missing man, we really need to get that equipment back on land. Normally, I would never admit this, but we are just ordinary men. It's our equipment that allows us to make the spectacular rescues. Without it, we can't do anymore than you can."

This time it was Levi who spoke up. "We're sorry to hear about your missing man. Is there anything that we can do?"

"You could do a survey of the area and make a list of the hardest hit, where survivors are the most likely, that kind of things. That way we have a starting point once we get the Domo back in."

Levi nodded. "We'll take care of it. And for what it's worth, I hope you find your man."

"Thank you. Come on, Alan. We've got a job to do."

The two brothers resumed their trek to the beach. By the time they got there, Thunderbird Two had already arrived. The tow lines were attached and Virgil was dragging the Domo to shore. Gordon was ankle deep in the water using a guide line to help it along. Alan waded out to help him.

"Hey, there you are," Gordon remarked when he noticed Alan coming his way. "We were surprised that we'd beat you here."

"We would have, but we got cornered by some locals."

"Oh fun, well you're here now. Let's get this done. Hopefully, we'll find John in there."

"Hope so," Alan replied without conviction.

It only took a few more minutes to pull the domo onto the wet sand where Scott was waiting. He made sure that he was the first one at the door. His hand wavered slightly as he reached for the latch. Mentally shaking himself, he hoped that no one had noticed. He gripped that handle firmly and opened the door. Scott positioned himself so that he could look inside the domo yet block the view of his other brothers, just in case.

Alan bounced on his toes trying to see over Scott's shoulder. "Well?"

A loud sigh accompanied the two word answer. "It's empty."

Author's Note - Okay, here we are back to our mean, old selves. What could've happened to John? Did he get washed out to see along with the Domo? Will the brothers even be able to find him without there sensors? (Evil grins) We won't say... okay, we won't say until next chapter.

Again, we need to thank our wonderful beta-reader, Lillehafrue. You have done so much for us. (To let everyone else in on the secret...our grammar sucks! Bless her for correcting it.)

We also want to thank all our readers and especially our reviewers. Unfortunately, Convert missed sending out replies to our reviews from chapter 13. Sorry about that. But We'll just put out one big thank you out here. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We appreciate you all!


	16. Outside the City

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 16 – Outside the City

John climbed out of the Domo and secured it. He had just finished his second rest period. He went to meet with the fire chief in Daet that he had been working with.

"So, where do we stand?" John asked.

"Actually, things here in the city seem like they're slowing down," the chief replied. "I think that we should be able to handle the rest of this here in the city limits. But there is this one outlying area that we've been too busy to get out to yet."

"Do they have any emergency personnel at all that would've helped during this time?"

"They have a small police force consisting of four officers and a volunteer fire crew, but nothing to really handle a situation like this, even though, I'm sure they're trying."

"Okay, if you really think you can handle it here, I'll head out and see how things are in this village area."

"I was thinking the same thing. Glad that you concur."

"Well, then, I'll get going."

"Thank you for everything that you've done here today. It was an immense help."

John shook his head. "Just doing my job." He then turned and headed back to the Domo.

It only took John roughly fifteen to twenty minutes to reach the outlying village that was east of the city. As he maneuvered through the streets, he wasn't sure where to begin, but when he saw a group gathered in front of a mostly brick building with the exception of a row of cracked or broken windows and glass doors in the front of the building. The half fallen sign identified it as a bank. He stopped the Domo and got out.

John approached the group. "Excuse me. I'm from International Rescue. Is there someone in charge that I can speak to?"

A man, who appeared to be in his mid-fifties, stepped forward. "I guess that would be me. "I guess that would be me. I'm Eudaldo Cabral. I'm the bank manager here and a member of the village council, but that's about where my authority ends, but I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"I'm looking for whoever is in charge of the emergency response effort. I was sent out from Daet to see if they needed any help with all these people. I was hoping that this was an emergency shelter."

"Actually, that is at the elementary school which is four blocks over from here. That's where the police and fire chiefs are as well as the council president. They came a while back and took the injured over there. That's where you should go, I guess."

"I guess so too," John acknowledged. "But if you don't mind me asking, what is all this?"

Eudaldo glanced around. "Well, the school is over-filled with people who have lost their homes. Now, since the bank is equipped with an emergency generator, we set up a center for those who still have homes but no power to come and get a hot meal. Would you like something? We still have some left."

"No thank you. That's very kind of you to offer, but I've already eaten. I hope the community appreciates what you're doing."

"Actually, it is a community effort. Most of these people have been working all day with the rescue and clean-up efforts, but those of us who couldn't go out have been here cooking with the hot plates, crock pots, and even an electric roaster. Most people donated some food, but most of it came from our local grocer."

John looked around again this time with a new level of respect for these people. "It is really great to hear about communities pulling together like that. It has gotten to be a rare thing." Pausing a moment he sighed. "Right, well, I'd better get going. Thank you for the information."

Before John could leave, a small boy tugged on his sash. "Mister, are you really with International Rescue?" He asked.

John couldn't help but think that this boy was probably around Neil's age. He knelt in front of him. "I sure am."

"Do you get to fly in the rockets real fast?"

John laughed lightly. "Sometimes, but we do a lot more than just fly rockets."

"That must be so cool."

"It's also hard work. Just look at this rescue. We've been putting out fires, making sure that people are safe, taking the ones that are hurt to the doctor." Gesturing to his uniform, he continued. "Look at me. Do you think I go this dirty just by flying around in a rocket all day?"

"I guess not, but I still think it would be cool to be in International Rescue. Do you think I can join when I grow up?"

"You never know. We'll have to wait and see if we have any openings when you grow up."

A female voice interrupted them. "That's enough, Nicky. We don't want to bother this young man."

"Aww, Mom," Nicky whined.

John now thought about the young boy that his brother brought to the Island, sharing this boy's name. Once again, he couldn't help but wonder how serious the relationship was between Scott and Sharon. Forcing the stray thoughts form his mine, he glanced up to the mother, noticing that a small group of adults had gathered around him. "It's okay. He's not being a bother."

"But I'm sure that you have plenty of work to so."

"Now, Nicky, your mother is right. I do have to get back to work."

"Will you come back and see me?"

"I'm sorry. I can't make any promises, but I won't rule out the possibility of checking back in with the community before I leave."

Before Nicky could reply, a young, well-endowed, red headed woman sidled up to John. "You can check in on me."

This new woman made John very uncomfortable, but he tried to maintain an air of professionalism. "Do you plan on returning here to the bank in the next few days?"

She walked her fingers along John's sash, laughing seductively. "Oh, sweetie, by then you'll be so tired. My place would be much better. I don't have electricity right now, but I have plenty of candles. Plus, I'm sure that I can find ways to help you relax."

Nicky's mom placed her hands over his ears and tried to pull him away, but he fought her.

"Really, Yvelis," a young man in the group interrupted. "Do you think this is acceptable behavior? Or even appropriate? He's here to do a job, not get hit on by you. Plus, there's a child here for God's sake."

"Oh, shut up Benjie. You're just jealous because I've never invited you to my house."

Flustered, John pushed Yvelis away. "Your friend is right. I do have a job to do. I want to thank you all for your attention and concern." He ruffled Nicky's hair. "Nicky, you be a good boy, and listen…"

It was only a few seconds from the first slight upheaval until the ground was shaking violently. People began yelling, running, and trying to take cover as best they could. A cracking noise caught John's attention over the rest of the din. He looked up and saw some branches of the tree above them break off. "Run," he yelled as he pushed Nicky's mother in front of them. He picked up Nicky and tried to run, but it was too late. He staggered as a heavy branch slammed into his upped back. He tried to keep his feet underneath him, but he could feel himself falling. His one thought was "protect the boy". He curled himself around Nicky just as he hit the ground, something hard slamming into his ribs. He didn't have time to contemplate what he hit because in the next instant, his head slammed the hard ground. Even though he fought against it, his consciousness grayed to black.

Soon the shaking was over. Small groups gathered, checking with each other to see it they were all right. Nicky's mom, however, stood over the mound of limbs and leaves that was once part of a tree. "Nicky!" She screamed. "Oh, God, Nicky! Help! Somebody help them…please!"

John became aware of the pounding in his head before he even opened his eyes. He groaned as he slit them open just a fraction. The light made his head pound more, so he closed them again.

A voice sounded like it was calling to him. "Hey, c'mon buddy. You waking up? Hello?"

"Is he all right?" Another voice broke in. "Please tell me he's going to be all right."

"Ma'am, please, I can't tell you anything right now."

"I thought you said you were a medic."

"I am, but the most I can tell you…"

The bickering was bothersome. So, John forced his eyes opened. He groaned as his vision jumped and waved. His stomach churned with the movement. He reached his hand up to rub his eyes.

"You back with us?" The male voice asked.

John finally was able to focus in on the speaker. "Oh God, what happened?"

"There was another aftershock, and you were hit by a falling tree branch. How are you feeling?"

"My head is splitting." John tried to sit up but was held down by the speaker.

"Whoa, let's not move too much until we're sure you're okay. What hurts the most? Any numbness in your extremities?"

"No, I'm okay, really." He forced the hand away and got into a sitting position. "I know you, don't I?'

"Well, kind of," the speaker smiled slightly. "Yvelis was put out with me when I took offense to her behavior. I'm Benjie, by the way."

"Right, nice to meet you. How long was I out?"

"Just a few minutes. Are you sure you're okay? I'm a medic. I'd like to check you over some more."

"It's not necessary. I just had the wind knocked out of me. Give me a minute to clear my head."

The bank manager spoke up. "Please, I think we would all feel better if you would let Benjie check you out. We can take you to the bank. Benjie can use one of the offices to give you some privacy."

"Forget the niceties," Nicky's mom interjected, with her one hand on her hip and the other on her son's shoulder. "You are going to the bank and let Benjie take care of you. After saving my son, I'm not about to let you walk away without knowing that you are truly okay."

Using that tone, she reminded him of his grandmother. Even with his head injury, he knew that would not be a welcome statement if he voiced it. Instead, John looked at Nicky. "Is he all right?"

"Just some bumps and bruises, pretty scared too, but nothing to really worry about," Benjie answered.

Nicky's mom nodded. "He's gonna be fine, thanks to you. So now, it's your turn."

John looked at the concerned faces of the group around him. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to concede that he really should be checked out. "Okay, you win. Help me up."

Benjie shook his head. "Wait a minute. I need to make sure it's safe to move you. You could have a hidden injury."

"I don't. My head hurts, but my back is fine and so is my neck. Just get me to my feet."

"Okay, if you're sure." Benjie took one side and another young man took the other. As they helped him to his feet, he hissed in pain. "What is it?" Benjie asked.

"A sharp pain in my side when I first moved, but I'm sure I just twisted the wrong way while getting up. It's not so bad now."

"I'll check it out anyhow." Benjie replied. The group made their way over to in front of the bank. On the way, John noticed that his wrist was pretty scrapped up and that his watch was missing from his wrist.

"Hey, Benjie, my watch is missing. Do you know what happened to it?" He subconsciously rubbed where it should have been.

"I really don't…"

The other young man who had been helping them interrupted. "I was one of the guys helping to get you out. The tree limb was pretty well snagged in your watchband. It was easier to take it off your wrist in order to slide you out. It's probably still hung up in the tree. I could get it for you, if you want."

"Thanks, that would be great."

The two continued toward the building. John noticed the group following behind them. It made him wonder how many of them really cared about him or if they were just being nosey.

A gasp from a woman a few feet away caught his attention. "What in the world?" She asked in horror.

John as well as many others followed the woman's gaze. He shuddered at the rapidly growing shadow on the horizon. His face blanched as he recognized the danger they were all in. "Inside…everyone get inside…_NOW_!"

John along with about a dozen other people including Nicky and his mom ran into the bank. He took in the glass windows and knew that they were no safer in the bank than they were outside. He also knew that the deadly wave would be on them in a matter of seconds. There was no time to run to another building. He spun around desperately searching for an answer. He stopped when he saw the open vault door. Stuffing down the dangers of locking oneself in a bank vault, he ordered. "In the vault…hurry…get inside."

Once the group was inside, John and Mr. Cabral grabbed the vault door to pull it closed. They both saw the young man who had gone after John's watch running towards the building. "Wait," Mr. Cabral said. "Paolo is coming."

John saw that the wave had crested and was coming at them full force. He hated himself for what he had to do. "It's too late. He'll never beat the wave. We've got to close the door."

John started to pull the door closed. Mr. Cabral hesitated for a fraction of a second before agreeing to John's assessment and he started pulling too. The door still had about four inches left to close when they heard the breaking of what was left of the glass windows. Some water flowed in the opening even as the force of the wave slammed the door the rest of the way closed. The magnetic bolts slipped into place as they made contact with each other. At the same time, the lights flickered once and went out. A couple of women screamed and a child began to cry.

"There goes the generator," Mr. Cabral observed.

"That's to be expected, but it sure complicates things," John replied. Lowering his voice so he wouldn't scare the other, he continued. "Let me ask you this; is there a manual release on the inside of the vault?"

"Yes, there is. It's part of the safety precautions, in case someone accidentally gets locked in, not that it's ever happened before."

"That's good." Turning toward the voices in the darkness, he raised his voice to address the group. "All right, don't panic. We're all okay in here. I've talked a bit to Mr. Cabral, and here's the plan. We'll wait about a half hour to make sure the water has had plenty of time to recede. Then, we pop the manual release and we're out of here. There is absolutely no reason to panic"

Benjie used the back light to check the time on his watch. "We might as well sit while we wait." In the darkness most of the group used the wall to guide them to the floor while others just dropped where they stood.

"It's so dark. I feel like I'm suffocating," a woman's voice proclaimed.

Benjie tried to use his watch to light the vault, but his finger kept sliding off the small button.

"I just remembered," another voice called out. A few seconds later, he pulled a mini flashlight out of his pocket and turned it on. It was only a small light, but it was enough to keep the people calm.

Mr. Cabral exhaled a very loud and tired sigh. "Are you okay, Mr. Cabral?" John asked.

"Eudaldo, call me Eudaldo," He replied in a weary, resigned tone. "I'm okay. I just can't help but think about Paolo. He was so close. We closed the door on him and left him to die."

John sighed also. "I know how you feel. It was a terrible decision to make. It sounds so crass to put it all down to numbers, but that's how it is. As it was, we barely got the door closed before the wave hit. If we had waited, we all would be dead."

"I know, but it's not just Paolo. I can't help but think about the people we've lost today, friends, family neighbors. It must be a lot, and I'm responsible for some."

Benjie was on the other side of John. "How do you figure that?"

"I sent some out to look for survivors, especially after the last aftershock. The chances that they all made it to safety…well, I'm not going to kid myself."

"You can't think like that," Benjie told him.

"I don't know how else to take it…"

"Benjie's right," John broke in. "Besides, I don't think that last rumbling was an aftershock. I think it was a second earthquake."

"What makes you say that?" Benjie asked.

John began to explain. "Well, when we got here, my team and I knew where the epicenter of the original quake was. If it had created the tsunami, it would have reached us long before this. Now, I'm not an expert by any means, but I have worked other earthquake rescues before, and it just doesn't seem like the aftershocks we have been having were strong enough to create a tsunami on their own. Therefore, I think the last one was a second quake and that created it. You didn't know this was going to happen, so whatever happened to those people, it's not your fault. You didn't force them to go. They volunteered. It's a testament of their respect for you that they looked to you for guidance."

"It still doesn't make me feel better."

"I know the feeling. That young man, the one you called Paolo, he offered to go get my watch. I didn't know this was going to happen, but I still feel guilty. It was my watch, and now he's dead. For what? A watch…talk about senseless."

"How do you deal with it?" Eudaldo asked.

John was quiet for a second before he replied. "You just have to. I wouldn't be able to do my job if I continue to dwell on it. Once the rescue is over, I'll probably do some more thinking, wondering, second guessing myself, but somehow I'll have to work through it. I won't say that it's easy to do. You'd have to have a heart of stone to get over something like this quickly, but we both have to find a way or it will eat us up. I wish I had a magic potion to make it easier but I don't. Unfortunately, we each have to find our own way."

"I don't think I can."

"Give it time," Benjie said. "It's too fresh right now. Plus, you're too stressed and tired. Things will look different after you get some rest."

"Speaking of," John interjected. "Why don't we take advantage of the forced downtime to get some rest."

"Good idea," Benjie replied as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "I think I'll do just that."

John followed suit, leaning his head back and closed his eyes. He let the few whispering voices lull him into a light sleep.

Author's note – Okay, just to make this very clear: neither Grumpy nor Convert are in any way, shape or form experts on earthquakes of tsunamis. We have drawn on information that we have been able to find on the internet and yes, what we have seen on TV, so there has definitely been a bit of poetic license here since most TV shows aren't necessarily true to life. Please don't kill us for it.


	17. The Talk

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 17 – The Talk

Jeff walked into the kitchen and found Sharon and Kyrano talking. "Have either of you seen Neil?"

"Neil?" Sharon asked in confusion. "Isn't he in bed?"

Jeff shook his head. "He doesn't sleep well when John is away. He tends to get up and wander. A lot of times he'll come looking for an update on the mission. Unfortunately, this time he walked in on the wrong report."

"Why? Did something happen? Is someone hurt? John?" Sharon fired questions at Jeff.

"We don't know yet. All we know is that we lost contact with John after a tsunami hit the area he was working in. Neil happened to overhear Scott's report and ran off."

"Oh God, poor Neil. He doesn't deserve this. Such a sweet little boy, to lose both his parents…"

"We don't know that anything has happened to John," Jeff forcefully interrupted. "He's just out of contact right now. Scott is going to check out the situation. There's no sense in jumping to conclusions. So, until we hear anything different from Scott…it's nothing more than equipment failure."

"But Mister Tracy, how is that possible?" Kyrano asked. "Your equipment…the technology…how could you lose all contact?'

"Yeah, what about that? From what both you and Scott told me about your safeguards, this shouldn't be happening," Sharon added.

"I don't know, but once we figure out what happened, I'm going to have Brains work on the problem so that it never happens again. But for right now, I need to find Neil.

Sharon nodded. "Right, where have you checked?"

"I checked their suite and the observation platform off their rooms. I came here after that."

"Any ideas where else he would go? Maybe he went to see Grandma? Or Christina? What about Brains?"

"I'm not sure. Both Grandma and Christina should be asleep, but I'll check with Grandma just in case. Kyrano, can you check with Tin-Tin and Christina? I don't know why he would go to Brains, but he is down in Triple C. If you want to go check, we can meet back in the lounge. All right?"

"Of course, Mr. Tracy," Kyrano bowed as he left the kitchen.

"F-A-B," Sharon said as she also headed toward the door.

Jeff paused and raised an eyebrow. "You'd better watch it. You're sounding like a team member already."

Sharon stopped in the open doorway, turning back slightly. "Don't give me a uniform yet. This situation is only making my decision all the more confusing. I just don't know what to think, right now." She quickly left before Jeff could respond.

Sharon headed to the comm. center where she found Brains. "Hey, have you seen Neil?"

Brains shook his head. "No, is he m-m-missing?"

"Yeah, apparently he walked in when Scott was telling his father that John was missing. Jeff hasn't been able to find him since. Have we heard anymore from Scott or John?"

"N-n-nothing from John. Thunderbird One has b-b-been on the ground for a few minutes. Thunderb-b-bird Two is just getting to the r-r-rescue area."

"Damn, I was hoping. Okay, I'm going to meet up with Jeff. If you happen to see Neil, let us know."

"I w-will."

Sharon headed back toward the stairway. She lifted her foot to the first step but noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. "Neil? Is that you?"

Neil's small head peeked around the corner, looking frightened, clutching a teddy bear. He looked like he was about ready to run away again.

"Hey, it's okay. You're not in trouble," Sharon told him as she moved closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We were worried about you. What are you doing down here?"

Neil looked at the floor and shrugged.

"Were you trying to find out about your dad?"

Again, he refused to look at her but gave a short nod.

"Why didn't you just ask? If you had stayed with your grandfather, he would've filled you in."

This time, even though he didn't answer, she felt his body shake with his building emotions. "Do you want to go see him?"

Neil shook his head.

"Okay…why don't you want to see your grandpa?"

Neil shrugged.

"Do you want to talk to someone?"

Again, Neil shrugged.

"Would you like to talk to me?"

Neil paused and then nodded.

"How about we go somewhere more comfortable than the hallway? How about Kyrano's garden? I was out there earlier, and I know it's very nice. Maybe, it'll make you feel better."

Neil nodded again.

Sharon took his hand. "I just want to stop by the Triple C again and let Brains know. He can let your grandpa know so he won't worry anymore. Does that sound okay?"

Once more, Neil silently nodded.

The two walked back down the hall. Sharon poked her head into the comm. room. "Hey, Brains."

Brains looked up at her through his big thick blue glasses. "Yes?"

"Could you let Jeff know that I found Neil? We're going to have to talk, and we'll meet up with him later."

"Yes, m-m-ma'am."

"Thank you"

Once they reached the garden, Sharon found a bench for them to sit on. She placed an arm around his shoulders. She wasn't sure how to begin. Even though Neil was a smart kid and tended to act more mature for his age, the truth was he was just a little boy, and at this moment, he was a very scared little boy. She looked up through the towering plants into the night sky and took a deep breath. "Boy, the stars sure are pretty tonight." She gave Neil a second to respond. When he didn't, she continued. "They're different than the ones we see in California. You probably thought the same thing when you moved from Texas." Again, she waited but got no response. She decided to try a different tactic. "I bet your dad has taught you a lot about the stars." She waited for a response to the mention of his dad, but all he did was wipe a few tears from his cheeks.

Sharon noticed Jeff sitting just out of Neil's eyesight. He indicated to her to not reveal his presence with a shake of his head. She turned her full attention back to Neil. "Do you want to talk about how you're feeling?" Even though he shrugged, Neil remained quiet. He played with the arms of his bear that sat in his lap, bringing them together and back apart. Again, changing tactic, she continued. "That's a neat bear. Can I see him for a minute?"

Neil handed the bear to Sharon. It was just a typical, although worn, brown teddy bear, wearing a red t-shirt with Neil's name embroidered on it.

"Hey cool, it has your name on him. Did your mom give you this?"

Neil shook his head. "My dad."

Now Sharon was confused. She knew that John had only known about Neil for a short time, but this bear looked well loved and used. She couldn't imagine John giving his son a used bear, but maybe it was a family heirloom, an old bear of John's that he personalized for Neil when he gave it to him. "Your dad? But how long have you had him?"

"Since I was a baby. Mom said that my dad bought it for me, long before I was born. She said that it should prove that my dad loved me even if he didn't see me. She told me that a lot…that my dad loved me. I didn't know why my dad wouldn't come and see me, but she told me to always believe that he loved me. Dad remembered this bear when I first met him. He told me about buying it and giving it to my mom."

Sharon was still confused but decided that the past wasn't really any of her business. "Your dad really loves you. You know that, don't you?" She handed the bear back.

Neil nodded his head. "I love him too."

"You're afraid that he won't come home, Right?"

Neil went back to his silent mode. Sharon continued. "I know you must be afraid for your Dad. You don't have to be ashamed to admit it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being afraid." He still didn't respond to her. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll admit that I'm afraid too."

Neil looked at her, confusion now showing on his face. "Why?"

"Oh, lots of reasons. This is the first International Rescue mission for me. I only found out it was your family running it shortly before they went out."

"We weren't supposed to tell. It's called 'operation: cover-up". That means keep it a secret."

"I know. Your Uncle Scott told me. He felt bad that I didn't know about the first rescue."

"Are you scared for him?"

Sharon nodded. "For him, for your dad, for everybody. I know that I've only known you guys for a few days, but I've really come to care about your family. I don't want anything to happen to any of them. If, something has happened to your dad, it's going to affect everyone. Your Uncle Scott will blame himself because he's in charge out there and assigned him to that job. Your other Uncles will blame themselves because they weren't there to protect your dad, and your grandfather will blame himself just because he was the one who started International Rescue in the first place. But then here's you, you've been hit the hardest by all this. You're probably imaging all the bad things that have happened to your dad."

"I don't want my Dad to die." Neil buried his face into his teddy bear as he began to cry.

Sharon pulled him into her lap. "Oh, honey, go ahead and cry. Let it out." She noticed Jeff leaving the garden. She knew that this had to be hard on him. She silently prayed that this would turn out to be the million to one case of just a simple technical malfunction.

Once Neil's tears had subsided, Sharon brushed his bangs away from his face. "I know that you're afraid, and it's perfectly understandable given what happened to your mom." She forced herself to look on the bright side for Neil's sake, and parroted what Jeff had said to her earlier. "You have to remember, though, your dad is only missing right now. You have to have hope. It could be something simple like his comm unit is broken and he doesn't know it. Your Uncle Scott could get there and find your Dad doing his job, rescuing people. They'll all have a good laugh at all the concern on his behalf."

"I don't think so. Uncle Scott sounded really weird, like he was mad. So it must be bad."

"Have you ever seen him mad?"

Neil shook his head. "Not really."

"So, maybe he's wasn't really mad. Maybe, he was just tired. They've been working for a long time. Either that or he's frustrated that he's not there. In case you haven't noticed, your Uncle Scott likes to be right where the action is. He says it's because he likes to be in control. I think it's because he's plain bossy."

For the first time since he heard that his dad was missing, Neil smiled a little. "My Dad says it's a family trait."

Sharon smiled too. "Oh, really? Is your dad bossy?"

Neil nodded. "Yeah, but he does it in a nice way."

"Hmm…a nice, bossy person sounds like an oxy-moron to me."

"What's an oxy-mor…mor…what you said?"

"An oxy-moron? It means to describe something with two words that are normally opposite, like 'he's the skinniest, fat man I've ever seen'. How can a person be skinny and fat at the same time? Or like with your Dad, 'a nice, bossy person', most people who are bossy aren't nice. Do you understand?"

"I think so. Christina sure isn't nice when she's bossy."

Sharon laughed and ruffled his hair. "She probably says the same about you."

He gave a sheepish look and shrugged.

"Do you like living here?" she asked. Neil nodded his head. "And you love your Dad a lot, don't you?"

Neil gave her a look like she had lost her mind. "He's my Dad."

"But it had to have been really hard on you to move here. After all, your mom had just died. You had to leave your friends. You didn't know anyone here, not even your Dad. Then to find out that they are International Rescue and they go out on these dangerous missions…Man, you must be one brave little boy. I can tell you, if it was me, I'd be freaking out every time my Dad went out."

"I did at first, but my Dad explained things to me. He told me it was his job, and he had to do it. He told me he had all my uncles looking out for him so he wouldn't get hurt." He took a deep breath and shuddered as he let it out slowly. "I guess that didn't work out right."

Sharon could tell that he was fighting tears again. "Are you mad at your uncles for not protecting your dad?"

Neil shrugged. "I don't know. I guess."

"Are you mad at your Dad for working alone?"

Again Neil shrugged. "Maybe."

"Do you think your Dad should quit International Rescue?"

Neil looked up in shock. "No! It's his job. He can't quit."

"Have you told your Dad how much you are afraid?"

Neil gave her a horrified look. "No, I could never do that."

"Why not? Your Dad loves you. Maybe if he knew how scared you are, he would quit without you asking him to. He could get another job. Your grandfather could give him one. One that's not so dangerous."

"But he likes what he does. I don't want to take it away from him. That's not fair."

Sharon momentarily forgot that she was talking to a five year old child. "It's not fair that you have to be afraid all the time, just so he can go out and rescue people. He should care enough to get a _safe_ job," she said heatedly.

"My Mom had a safe job," Neil barely whispered.

Sharon realized what she had said and her face flushed with shame. Hugging him close, she apologized. "Oh God, I'm sorry, Neil. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to criticize your dad. I was thinking of something else, and I let it slip out."

"Were you thinking about Uncle Scott?"

Sharon sat back slightly with shock showing on her face. "Why would you think that?"

"You and Uncle Scott look at each other funny. I think you want him to get a safe job."

Sharon cleared her throat. "Well, this isn't about Scott and me. I think you should tell your Dad how you feel, that he needs to take care of you."

Neil got mad, "My Dad's a great dad. He's a hero. They all are. That's cool. I don't want it to change. I'm going to be a Thunderbird when I grow up."

"Hey, calm down. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that I can see how upset you are with your Dad missing."

"I can handle it. I'm a Tracy."

"What does that mean to you?"

"We have to do good things for people even though we don't know them. We have to help them when they need it. We need to do good things with Grandpa's money. We have to be brave no matter what we have to do even if it is dangerous. Dad says it's our ob…ob…obla…"

"Obligation?"

Neil nodded. "That's it."

"But don't you think that your dad has an obligation to make you happy?"

"I am happy, mostly. I wish that my Mom was still alive, but I now have my Dad, a Grandpa, Uncles, an Aunt, and even a cousin. I didn't have that in Texas. My Dad says that I don't have to worry because if something does happen to him, I will always have my family and they will take care of me."

Sharon paused and thought for a moment. Who would her children have if something happened to her? Neither she nor Mike had any family to speak of. Would her children end up in the government system just because she was afraid? But is security for her and her children be enough to marry Scott? Sure, she was madly in love with the man, but wouldn't she also be using him? "I wish I could be brave like you."

"But I'm not brave, not like I'm supposed to be."

"I'm not sure I understand. Is that why you hid when you heard your Dad was missing? Because you don't think you were brave?"

Neil lowered his head. "I didn't want Grandpa to get mad."

Sharon was confused. "I don't understand. Why would he be mad?"

Neil sniffed and turned his head away from Sharon. His voice cracked with more unshed tears. "Because I'm not brave. I'm not a Tracy. It made me cry."

Sharon pulled him close again. "Oh honey, I know this must be so confusing for you. It's confusing for me, so it's got to be worse for you." She moved him a bit, so she could look into his eyes. "Look, I'm going to tell you something about bravery. Just because you cried doesn't mean you aren't brave. Some of the bravest men I know cry."

"Really?"

"Yes, really, grown-ups tend to forget that sometimes. 'Being brave' doesn't mean that you're never afraid. It means doing the right thing _even though_ you're afraid. Like when a fireman runs into a burning building to save someone. He's got to be scared at least a little. It's human nature. You are more of a Tracy than you think you are. You were trying to hide your fears because you wanted to be brave, so that your Dad and Grandpa would be proud of you. That's part of being brave in my book."As she spoke to Neil, she couldn't help but think to herself, "Have I forgotten that? Is marrying Scott the right thing to do? Should I do it even though I am afraid? Would I have married Mike if I knew he was going to die so young? But if I didn't, I wouldn't have my two beautiful children. Can I really call it living if I let my fears run my life?"

"Do you think that my Dad is afraid? At least a little?" Neil asked, bringing her attention back to him.

"I'm sure he is. Like I said, it's human nature. But, speaking as a parent, he's probably more worried about you than he is himself."

"Why? He knows that I'm safe."

Sharon laughed. "It's what we parents do. He would be worried about how you are taking his disappearance. He's probably hoping that all this will be cleared up before you ever found out."

Neil frowned. "I don't understand."

"You will when you get older. Do you feel up to going back in and seeing if anyone knows anything yet?"

"Will you come with me?"

"You better believe it. I want to know what's going on just as much as you do."

"And that's part of being brave, right?"

"That's right. You and I can be brave together."

Neil willingly took Sharon's hand as they headed back to the lounge.

Author's Note - "Out of the mouth's of babes..." So, has Sharon and Neil's talk changed her perspective? Does admitting her own fears, help him deal with his? We can only hope.

Okay, the story is coming to end soon. We only have one more twist to hit you guys with. Again, we want to thank our wonderful beta, Lillehafrue for all her great work and her encouragement. We never would have made it without you.

Thanks to all our readers and our reviewers. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	18. Searching

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 18 – Searching

_At the Domo_

"Damn, damn, damn!" Scott vehemently exclaimed.

"What?" Virgil's voice demanded over the comm. "What is it? What did you find?"

"Nothing, it's empty."

Alan and Gordon jockeyed with each other trying to get a look in the Domo. It made no sense. They both knew that Scott wasn't lying, but they wanted to see for themselves.

Alan shouldered his brother out of the way. Seeing the empty Domo, he muttered. "Damn it."

Gordon hung his head in silence. He was so sure that they would find John. He swallowed back the fear that threatened to overwhelm him. If John wasn't in the Domo… "No, I won't think like that," he mentally chastised himself. "I refuse to believe he's dead. There has to be another explanation."

Silence reigned over the group until Gordon finally broke it. "What'd we do now?"

Scott shook his head. "What'd we do? We get back to work, that's what."

"What?" Alan blurted out. "What'd you mean 'work'? What about John? We have to find him!"

"And how do you expect us to do that?" Scott snapped. "In case you've forgotten, his watch is not registering on our scanners."

"I know that, but I still think that we…"

"You think what? Without his watch, he's just another blip among thousands, if he's even…"

"Don't say that!" Gordon broke in. "Don't even think that! He's not dead. He can't be!"

Scott pounded a clenched fist against the side of the Domo. "Don't you think I want to believe that? The last thing I want to do is report this back to Dad. But, in all reality, we have to face the possibility that…that he could be…" His voice trailed off as he was overcome with emotion.

Alan was still not ready to let it go. "There still has to be…"

Virgil joined the group after having landed Thunderbird Two. "What the heck is going on?" he asked, interrupting Alan.

"I'll tell you what's going on," Alan continued his rant. "John's missing, and our field commander, here, thinks we should just forget about him and go back to work! So much for family loyalty."

"And Alan here is going off half-cocked as usual," Scott snarked back. "He'd see things clearer if he would think about it instead of reacting emotionally."

"Emotionally?" Alan sputtered. "How can it be anything other than emotional? This is our brother that we are talking about!"

"Come on guys…" Virgil tried to placate the fighting brothers, who in turn, simply ignored him.

"No, right now he is a victim," Scott hotly explained. "He is without equipment and any communication devices. So, if he is still alive, and I pray that he is, our best chance of finding him is to go about our jobs and helping the survivors." He paused and took a few deep breaths to pull himself together and continued, this time a bit calmer. "Look, I know nobody wants to go back to work, but it's what we need to do. It is our only chance to find him if he is somewhere out there among the survivors. Hopefully, we will find him among them."

Quiet reigned over the small group for a few moments. "Okay?" Scott asked quietly.

Virgil and Gordon silently nodded their head waiting warily for Alan's response.

Alan hung his head. "Yeah, you're right, Scott. I wasn't thinking clearly. I let my emotions get the better of me. I'm sorry."

Scott placed a hand on Alan's shoulder. "It's all right. I…" His voice faded off. Clearing his throat, he spoke to everyone. "Let's get back to work. Virg, check out the Domo and see if it's in workable condition. Gordon, what equipment did you bring? Anything?"

"Just the Excavator. It was in the pod while I was on my rest period, so…"

"It was quicker to just lock down the Fire Tender than trying to get it in the pod," Virgil said. He didn't want Gordon to get in trouble for his decision.

"Don't worry about it. We'll work with what we have. Gordon, go ahead and pull the Excavator out. Alan, go with him for right now. Use your scanners to locate any life readings. Just be careful. People can be buried under this mud and debris, if they should be lucky to be in an air pocket. You don't want to risk collapsing it during the rescue attempt."

"What are you going to do?" Virgil asked.

"I have to meet Mr. Bello and Mr. Amora. I will be calling each of you and probably reassign you areas to work, depending on our readings, and what the two gentlemen have found out."

Alan grimaced. "I'd forgotten about those two. I'm so glad that you're the one who has to deal with them."

Scott shook his head. "Don't forget. They, too, are emotionally involved. This is their homes, their families, their friends. It's in their best interests to be as helpful as possible. I'll talk to you guys after I meet with them."

"F-A-B," the three replied as the group split up and went their separate ways.

TBTBTBTBTB

_At the Bank_

Benjie checked his watch once more. It is surprising how long a half hour can be when you are waiting for it to end. "Okay, John, it's been a half hour. Are you sure that's enough time?"

"It should be plenty," John answered. "Mr. Cabral, could you show me the manual release?"

"Not a problem, but we need to limit the number of people watching for security purposes. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course," John turned to the small group. "We need to use the flashlight for a moment."

The gentleman that owned the flashlight handed it to him. "Here."

John took the light and in a quiet voice asked. "Okay, Mr. Cabral, what've we got?"

"Well, I hate to admit it, but it is pretty easy." Mr. Cabral, John and Benjie moved to the control panel. He pointed to two spots on the metal plate, under the keypad. "Pressing here and here, push it up slightly and then pull it forward."

John did it and revealed a lever in the wall.

Mr. Cabral continued. "Now, push the lever in the wall down. That moves the control pad into the manual release option. Now, just grab the lever on the door and pull up. It should open."

"Great," John followed the directions of pushing the wall lever down. He then moved to the door. He grabbed its lever and pulled but it didn't move. "Hmmm…" He grabbed it again and pulled a little harder. Still it didn't budge.

"Is something wrong?" Benjie asked.

"I can't seem to get it to move." John gave Benjie a wry smile. "I guess I'd better work out more."

Benjie moved closer. "Let me help you."

The two men grabbed the lever and pulled. Once again the lever did not move, but John felt a pop and a sharp pain sliced into his side. He let out a gasp and protectively grabbed his left side.

"What? What's wrong?" Benjie demanded as he moved to face John.

"Nothing, I'm okay," John said a little breathless. He took a deep breath and his voice returned to normal. He straightened up a bit but still held his side. "I think I just pulled a muscle. There was a sharp pain, but it's starting to ease a little."

Taking in the pain etched face and the protective stance, Benjie asked. "How much is a little?"

John smirked. "Okay, so not much, it still hurts like hell. Happy?"

"Come on, sit back down," Benjie pulled John away from the door.

"Yes, please sit down," Mr. Cabral said. "Apparently, something is wrong with the door. We're not getting out of here any time soon."

A woman overheard the comment and began to freak out. "What'd you mean we can't get out? He said it would be easy. Just let the water go down and open the door. That's what he said. What's wrong? Why can't we get the door open?"

"It's not opening," Benjie told the woman. "It must be jammed somehow."

"Oh my God!" The woman continued to wail. "We're going to die! I knew it. We should've never come in here!"

The rest of the group started to get restless. Worried voices shot back and forth.

"And you would've had a better chance with the wave?"

"That's better than slowly suffocating in a bank vault."

"You really think so? Drowning?"

"Only if you're lucky. How about suffocating, buried under mud and debris?"

"Please, people," John tried to intercede. "Listen to me."

The voices continued to rise in volume. The first woman curled into a ball. "We're gonna die. We're gonna die. We're gonna die."

"Please, listen," John tried again.

One of the guys started pulling on the lever.

Another man laughed sarcastically. "If they couldn't get it open, what makes you think you can?"

With a loud bellow, the guy at the door brought his fist up and caught the sneering one under the jaw. He followed through by grabbing him around the waist knocking both to the ground. The rest of the arguing group quieted as they stumbled around the grappling men. John started to rise, but Benjie pushed down on his shoulder.

"Let me handle this." He made his way over and grabbed the guy who happened to be on top at the moment and pulled.

The other man stood quickly and took a step towards Benjie and his combatant. Mr. Cabral and Nicky's mom stepped in front of him. Mr. Cabral placed a hand on the man's chest. "That is enough."

Once there was a break in the action, John tried once more. "Please, people, listen to me."

The man Benjie was holding snapped. "Why should we listen to you? We listened to you once, and now we are stuck in this vault."

The first woman began to wail again. "We're gonna die. We're gonna die."

"We are _NOT_ going to die," John said forcefully.

"How would you know? Nobody knows we're in here," the man sneered.

John sighed heavily. "I've been trying to explain." The group fell into complete silence as they waited for John to continue. "As soon as the tsunami hit, my colleagues would have tried to contact me. When they were unable to reach me, they would come here to find me. Since it's been over a half hour, I'm sure they're here already. We just need to be patient until they find us."

"How do you know they will find us?" Someone asked. "After all, it's not like they're going to think to search the bank vault."

"Their scanners will show life signs from in here."

"Are you sure?" Someone else asked. "I heard somewhere that bank vaults were impervious to scanners…Something about how thick the walls are or about the metals used to line them."

"Our scanners will be able to read us."

"How can you be so sure?" The man with Benjie demanded.

John leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Simple, I know our equipment."

TBTBTBTBTB

The four remaining Tracy brothers were working out a plan. Scott met with Mr. Bello and Mr. Amora. They pointed out the hardest hit areas on a map which included some sub-divisions, a handful of apartment buildings, and the four emergency shelters, and that was just in the city limits. There were three villages on the outskirts of the city. Only one though was in the direct path of the wave. Mr. Bello also reported that a large number of their emergency responders were missing. That didn't surprise Scott much considering that they would have been outside and therefore at the mercy of the wave.

Virgil and Alan checked out the Domo and deemed it in workable order. Once that was done, Virgil and Gordon took off in Two. They flew low over the area, and Gordon recorded the areas with life signs. Once they returned, they compared their findings with the map of Mr. Bello and Mr. Amora. Scott used the information to formulate a work plan.

"Okay, here is the plan. Virgil, grab a couple of tents and set them up. Stock them with food and medical supplies from the emergency storage. We'll use that as a temporary shelter. Mr. Amora, I need two of your medical techs to go with each of my men, including me. That means eight men. The rest can man the tent." Mr. Amora nodded and went to get the men. "Alan, you're going to stay here in the city with me. Take the Domo and start at the east end of town and work your way west. I'll start on the west side and work your way. Gordon, I'm going to have Virgil take you and the Excavator to the outlying village. Start at the school where they had their shelter and work out from there. Virg, I'm going to have you in Two. I'm sure there are going to be some people injured that can't be handled here at the shelter. You'll be shuttling them to an inland hospital."

"That's why I get two EMTs too."

"Yeah, they'll take care of the wounded. Now, those of us who are searching, make sure you pay attention to your handheld scanners. We don't want to risk missing anybody. Please be extra careful as you move around. The sun will be setting soon. That's not going to help. And by all means, if you find John, don't keep it to yourself. Let's get going."

A chorus of "F-A-B"s sounded as the group broke up and went their separate ways.

TBTBTBTBTB

_At the Bank_

The flashlight began to dim and then flicker. John knew what was going to happen. Sure enough, the flashlight gave one more flicker before winking out and plunging the vault into pitch blackness. Two women screamed and Nicky began to cry.

"It's going to be…okay," John tried to sound forceful, but it ended up trickling off to a breathless wheeze.

"You keep saying that," the angry man from the earlier ruckus declared. "But so far I haven't seen any evidence of that."

Benjie had had enough. "Will you shut up? All you have done is complain. If you're so smart, why don't you come up with something?"

"Hrmph," the man grumped but fell quiet.

Benjie turned his attention back to John. "Hey, are you okay? You don't sound so good."

John's voice was quiet and breathless. "I don't know. I'm having…a hard time getting a deep breath."

"Damn," Benjie muttered. "How long has this been going on?"

"I'm not…sure. It seems to be…getting worse."

"Like ever since you got that sharp pain in your side when you tried to open the door?"

John thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, I guess…since then. You think…I did something trying…to open the door?"

Benjie placed a hand on John's chest to feel the rise and fall. "I sure do, and if I'm right, I hope your buddies get here quick. You need medical attention immediately."

"Let me guess…you're thinking he…hemothorax."

"I see someone else has some medical knowledge. But yes, I think you may have a hemothorax. You probably cracked some ribs when the tree fell on you, but they stayed in place at the time. Then when you exerted yourself trying to open the door, the rib shifted and tore into your lung."

"That's…kind of what I…figured," John gasped. "Ain't it a kick…"

"What is?"

With a hint of irony in his voice, John replied. "Once my team…gets here to rescue…us. I'm the one…they won't be able to…save."

"Hey, hey, don't you dare talk like that. Don't even think it. You said it yourself. They're looking for you. It won't be much longer. You just got to hang on. We'll keep you propped up against the wall here. Try to keep your breathing as even as possible."

"Yes, sir…doc."

Benjie snorted in disgust. "I wish. It costs too much to go to medical school. That's why I settled for being an EMT."

"If it's any…consolation…you'd make a great…doctor."

"Thanks, now quit talking. Try to relax. Concentrate on your breathing, nice and even."

Even though it was dark, John closed his eyes and nodded. Benjie kept his hand on John's chest, counting the breaths and the depths of them, praying the whole time that International Rescue gets there soon.

Author's Note - Okay, here we go again...poor John, we just won't give him a break. Yikes! Is he really bleeding internally? Will his brothers get to him in time? Can they stop the internal bleeding? How will Neil deal with it? And Sharon? Find out in the next chapters.

Again, we must state that we are not in the medical field. So, any errors are our own.

Thanks to all our faithful readers and especially our reviewers. You guys are the best. And speaking of best...we have the best beta ever! Thank you, lillefrahue.


	19. The Lost is Found

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 19 – The Lost is Found

Gordon sighed. Virgil had just taken off with another load of survivors. He felt sorry for the ER workers at the inland hospital. They were still dealing with the earthquake victims and now this. Who was he kidding? He was having a hard time with this. At first things didn't seem so bad. The shelter at the school seemed to have fared very well. The people were cold and wet, but the injuries were relatively minor, some cuts from the broken windows and some broken bones from people being thrown into objects or vis-versa, the worst injury was a man with a concussion after being knocked into a heavy teacher's desk. The people were transferred either to the new shelter or to the hospital.

Since then however, things had taken a dismal turn. Gordon and his EMTs worked a back and forth pattern across the town. He used his life sign scanner and the map from Virgil's earlier fly-over. Unfortunately, there were some life signs on Virgil's map that by the time they got there, the person was gone. It sickened Gordon to think of how close they came to saving these people only to fail. With every live body they uncovered, he hoped it would be John, but with every dead body, he prayed that it wasn't.

Gordon was almost done when Scott called him. "Thunderbird One to Gordon, come in."

"This is Gordon, what's up?"

"We're finishing up here. How are you doing? Need any help?"

"I don't think so. We only have about five blocks to go. By the time Virg would pick you up and get you here, we'll be done."

"You sure? We can come."

"I'm sure. I know this is ridiculous to ask, but you guys didn't find…I mean, did I miss…"

"No, we didn't find John. Hopefully, he'll be in your last five blocks."

"That'll take a miracle."

"Isn't that what people think we are? Miracle workers?"

"Unfortunately, we know the truth."

"Well, keep up with it. I'll contact you later. Thunderbird One out."

"F-A-B" Gordon looked around at the two men assigned to him, one an EMT and one a second year surgical intern. "Where are we at, Pete?"

"According to the map, there were life signs at the bank here. It's the next place to check."

The group stepped through the door frame that was devoid of its glass. They looked around and only saw one body leaning against the short wall under the bank of broken windows. Gordon took out his scanner and started circling the building. Once he reached the vault he picked up a reading. "I got something. The vault walls are causing interference, so I can't tell how many, but there are definitely people alive in there."

"Why the heck would they go in there?" The intern, whose name in Mike, asked.

"With the thick walls of the vault, it probably was the safest place for them to go. I just don't understand why they haven't come out yet."

"Maybe they're afraid to," Pete said. "Or maybe they can't. Maybe the door can only be opened electronically."

Gordon moved to the vault door. He pulled on the handle, but it didn't budge. He pressed random numbers on the keypad. He blew out a heavy breath. "Well, there's obviously no power, so even if we had the combination, it would be worthless. We'll have to cut through the lock."

"Are you kidding?" Mike sputtered. "That's a bank vault. It's thick and solid. What could you use to cut through something like that?"

Gordon shrugged. "I've got it covered." He went to the Excavator and returned with the laser torch. "You might want to look away. It can get bright." He told Mike and Pete while slipping a pair of safety shades on. He quickly and smoothly but through the locking pin.

The door shifted slightly. Gordon and his two guys positioned themselves along the door and pulled. The metal squealed and squeaked as the door moved slowly, groaning against the damaged hinges. It started to move faster as Gordon realized that the people in the vault were also pushing.

Once it was open enough, people began filing out of the vault. The response from the rescuees were widely varied.

"Oh, thank God, you're here!"

"I thought we were going to die in there!"

"It's about time you got here!"

"Oh, God, it was so dark in there!"

"Air…fresh air, thank you, God!"

"I am sooo out of here!"

"Please, people, can I have your attention," Gordon tried to reign in the chaos. "I need you to stay in this area."

"Why the heck should we listen to you?" The same grumpy man from in the vault groused.

"We are working with the local authorities to evacuate this area. We'll have a transport vehicle here soon to take you to one of the shelters. But first, is there anyone hurt?"

"Yes, in here," a voice from inside the vault called. "Please hurry. He needs help."

"Pete, can you make sure everyone hangs around. Mike, let's check this out." The two entered the room. The only light came from the door. It took a second for their eyes to adjust to the dimness. There were still two people inside the vault.

"Thank God, he said you'd come," the one man, who was kneeling next to the other, said.

"Who said?" Mike, the intern with Gordon, inquired.

Gordon, though, didn't need an answer. "Oh my God," he muttered as he recognized his missing brother. John sat next to the wall, holding his left side. His head was leaned back with his eyes closed. He was breathing shallowly and his face was pale. Gordon knelt down next to him. "John? Can you hear me?"

John's eyes slowly opened. They circled around before settling on his brother. "Hey…there…Red…" he said breathlessly.

Gordon ran a scanner over John, frowning at the readings he got. Then he looked at the other man. "How long has he been like this? Do you know what happened to him?"

Mike moved Gordon down a bit as he pulled a stethoscope from his pocket. "Let me in there to check him out."

John tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "I'm fine…really."

"Yeah, sure you are," Gordon replied and looked back at Benjie. "Well?"

Benjie shook his head. "I think he may have a hemothorax. I can't be certain. We'll need x-rays to be certain. Now, the theory is, and mind you this is just a theory…the theory is that he fractured his ribs when he was hit by the falling tree limb."

"He was hit by a tree limb?"

"Yeah, he was trying to protect a little boy during the last quake. At least I think it was the last quake. I mean, we were locked in this vault, but I think we would've still felt another quake. But what do I know? I'm not…"

"Benjie…stop babbling…" John interrupted. "We thought…my ribs…" His voice got weaker as he spoke.

Benjie placed a hand on John's shoulder. "Save your strength. I'll talk. Okay, if that's when his ribs broke, they were stable fractures. I didn't feel any obvious breaks, so we thought they were just bruised."

"You didn't feel any breaks?" This time it was Mike who asked. "How would you know? Do you have any medical training?"

"I'm a certified EMT, thank you very much," Benjie answered a bit snippy.

"I just wanted to know if you made matters worse in your effort to 'help'. You'd be surprised how many times a Good Samaritan messes things up."

"Just what are you trying to say?"

"You know what…"

"Guys, guys," Gordon interrupted. "My buddy?"

"Right," Mike said. "You'd better get your transport here, and quick. The EMT is right. Your colleague does have a hemothorax, and he needs immediate medical attention. There's no telling how long he's been bleeding into his lung cavity."

"I can tell you exactly how long. He felt a pop when he tried to open the door. If you'd just get off your high horse…"

Gordon ignored the two bickering medics and stepped away to place a call to his brother. "Virgil, I need you back here immediately!"

"Okay, I'm just leaving the shelter. I need to stop by and pick up Scott and the last of his survivors. Then, I'll be over to you."

"No, I need you here. Look, I found John, and he needs medical attention, like yesterday. So, drop whatever you are doing and get here now!"

"I'm on my way," Virgil replied solemnly.

Gordon then called his oldest brother. "This is Gordon, come in Scott." There was no response, so he called again. "Come in Scott, please. It's imperative." There was still silence. Gordon thought he was going to go nuts with this lack of response. He raised his arm, this time intending to contact the Island when Scott's face suddenly appeared on the watch face.

"I'm here, Gords. Sorry about that. I had a hysterical mother on my hands. Please, tell me you're calling with good news."

"Sort of, I did find John, but he's hurt. He needs immediate medical attention. I've already diverted Thunderbird Two here."

"How bad is it?"

"It's bad, Scott. An EMT and a surgical intern have examined him and agreed that he has a hemothorax."

"Oh God," Scott moaned. "Are they sure? What are they…"

"Hey, hey," Mike's voice came to Gordon's ears. "Stay with us. Come on, man. Help is on the way."

Gordon rushed to his brother's side. He left the comm link open to Scott. John's eyes were wide in pain and panic as he struggled for each breath. "What the hell is happening?"

"His lung has collapsed. He needs a chest tube, now! Hand me that med kit. Maybe there's something I can use," Mike barked.

Benjie looked at him in shock. "You can't be serious! This is no place to be putting in a chest tube. Think of the possible complications." Even though he was questioning Mike, he still handed him the med kit.

"I _am_ thinking of the complications," Mike snapped. "I'm thinking of the complications if we don't do anything."

"Thunderbird Two will be here soon," Gordon said, not really wanting to put his brother through an evasive procedure. "Can't it wait?"

Mike was digging through the kit, pulling out various items: bandages, tubing, a small scalpel. "I wouldn't recommend it. The left lung has already collapsed. That means more stress on the other lung and the heart. I don't want to risk either full respiratory or cardiac arrest. Do you?"

"No, absolutely not," Gordon replied, seriously concerned about his brothers condition.

Scott's voice could be heard over the open comm. "Gordon! What's going on? Did I hear something about cardiac arrest? Is John still alive?"

"I'd suggest you tell your friend there to shut up. I'm going to need both your help," Mike ordered.

Gordon gave him a curt nod. "Look, Scott, can't talk right now. I'll give you an update when I can."

"What the hell is going on? I need that report now!"

"I don't have time right now," Gordon snapped. "I told you, I'll call you when I can." He disconnected the comm cutting off Scott's protest. "Wait, I need…"

While Gordon was handling his brother, Mike handed Benjie a pair of scissors and some antiseptic. "Here, cut off his shirt and sterilize his side the best you can." He then leaned over and met John's eyes. He held up a small vial. "Normally, in a hospital, we would knock you out, but unfortunately, this is all we have. I'll give you this local, but it won't help much. Once I cut deep enough, you'll feel it. It's going to hurt like hell, but I need you to try to keep still. Can you do that?"

John shifted uncomfortably, still struggling to draw in a full breath but nodded.

Mike drew the liquid from the vial into a syringe, and injected it into four areas on John's side. He straightened out some IV tubing. He looked at Benjie and Gordon. "I'm going to need you two to help me. No matter how much he tries, the human body's natural instinct is to move away from the pain. I'm going to need you guys to hold him down. I really don't want to make matters worse by cutting something I shouldn't because he shifted."

Gordon was growing more concerned by the second. "I really don't know about this. Are you sure about all this? I mean, have you ever done this before? On a live person?"

"Twice," Mike nodded. "In a hospital, under the supervision of a surgeon. I know these aren't the best condition, but believe me, this is the best option right now."

Gordon still wasn't sure and was about to argue more when John reached out weakly. His voice was barely audible. "Do…it…"

Uncertainty was still written on his face but Gordon nodded to Mike. "Okay, do what you have to."

Gordon and Benjie took up their positions with Gordon at John's shoulders and Benjie at his knees. Mike grabbed the scalpel and poised it at John's side. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"Here we go," Mike announced and made the incision.

All thoughts of keeping still flew out of John's head when the scalpel reached the deeper layers of muscles that weren't numb. At this moment, he couldn't remember anything this painful. His back reflexively arched. He let out a low guttural, almost animalistic groan.

Gordon pressed his shoulders back against the floor. He felt his own tears building as his brother's cries tore through his heart. "It's okay, John. Just hold on. Please, hold on."

Benjie threw himself across John's knees to keep him from using his legs to push himself off the floor. Even in his weakened condition, the adrenaline spike from the pain was taxing to Benjie. "Hurry up, will ya," he demanded.

Virgil rushed into the vault at that moment, spurred on by the agonizing cries of his brother. "What the hell?" Seeing Mike cutting into John, he continued. "Hey, you, what are you doing? Stop that! Leave him alone!"

"It's okay. He's trying to help," Gordon told him. John gave out one more groan before he passed out. "John! Hey, John!" He placed two fingers against his neck and was relieved to still feel a pulse. He looked to the intern who was working on threading the tube through the opening. "Mike?"

Mike continued to concentrate on the job at hand. "Almost there…almost…al-l-m-most…there! I'm in. Get the respirator. Let's see if we can't get this lung re-inflated as the blood evacuates." He made sure the tubing was clear and draining.

"Here," Virgil pulled out the oxygen concentrator out of his pack. Gordon grabbed it and settled it over John's face.

Mike picked up the stethoscope off the floor and listened. "Good, I've got breath sounds, and they're getting stronger. I think it's safe to move him now."

"I'll get the stretcher." Virgil headed back to his Bird.

While he was gone, Gordon contacted Scott. "Sorry, I'm back now."

Scott was livid. "What the hell? Is John all right? Report! Now!"

"Scott, settle down. We had a bit of a scare, but he's doing better now. Virgil is here now and is going to take him to the hospital. Unfortunately, I still have a few more blocks to clear before I can leave."

"I heard something about cardiac arrest. What was that all about? Did John go into cardiac arrest? What's wrong with him?"

"No, he didn't go into cardiac arrest. Mike just mentioned it as a possible side effect of the collapsed lung."

"A collapsed lung? Oh God…you got to get him to the hospital now!"

"That's what we're doing. I'm going to send Mike with John. Right now he's stable. I'd like to keep it that way. Once Virgil drops them off, he can pick you up and then come get me. I should be done by then."

"Are you sure he's stable?"

Gordon gritted his teeth. "As stable as he'll get here."

"Why did his lung collapse? What other injuries does he have? Is John conscious? Can he tell you what happened?"

A noise at the door pulled Gordon's attention. He was grateful to see Virgil back with the stretcher. "Look, Virgil's back. I need to go. We can discuss all of this later."

Scott nodded and gave a quiet "F-A-B" before cutting the comm.

It took them roughly ten minutes to get John back to Thunderbird Two and settled in the medical bay. Gordon gave Virgil his orders to take John and Mike to the nearest hospital with a still functioning trauma center.

"He really does need an IV," Mike said. "You guys don't happen to have any, do you?"

"Yeah, right here," Virgil opened the medical supply cabinets. "We also have a small variety of drugs. Normally, we'd check with our doctor, but since you are one…also, over in this cooler is some blood, most of it is O neg, but there should be a couple of bags of B neg which is John's blood type, in case you need it. Here is the comm unit. I'll be in the cockpit, but if you need anything, give me a call."

Gordon extended his hand to Mike. "Thank you for all your help, not just with John but with all the survivors."

Mike shook his hand. "I was glad to do it. It's a story to last a lifetime. I mean, how many people have the chance to work with International Rescue and there fabulous machines."

Gordon watched as Thunderbird Two lifted off. He sighed and turned to the two EMTs who remained. "Benjie, thanks for offering to take Mike's place. We only have a few more blocks to finish and with my scanner, it shouldn't take long."

"It's the least I can do. If it wasn't for your man, I'd be dead. It was his idea to go in the vault to escape the wave."

The group finished in less than an hour. They found another eight survivors with only two injuries other than bumps and bruises. They were waiting when Virgil returned with Scott and Alan with him. The whole group was transported inland.

When they dropped the group off, Benjie slipped Gordon a piece of paper with a phone number on it. "I would really appreciate it if someone could call me and let me know how John is doing."

Gordon nodded. He knew that with their communication system that their number could not be traced. "I'll make sure you're informed. Thanks again for helping him as much as you did."

Finally, the rescue was officially over. The local officials thanked the men of International Rescue. The equipment was packed up. Scott was back in Thunderbird One. The other three brothers climbed into the cockpit of Thunderbird Two.

"So, what's our ETA to the hospital?" Gordon asked.

"We're not going to the hospital," Virgil answered.

"What?" The two younger men exclaimed almost in unison.

Virgil sighed. "We've been ordered home."

"You can't be serious," Alan complained.

"Hey, I don't give the orders. I just follow them."

"Did he give a reason why? We are his brothers after all. We have the right…"

Gordon could see that Alan was ramping up into a full blown rant. Deciding to step in, he tried to calm his brother. "He probably figured we needed time to rest and decompress before seeing John."

"I'd rest a whole lot better knowing how John is doing!"

This time it was Virgil who answered. "I'm sure Dad will keep us informed. He's heading to the hospital with Neil."

"Oh, sure, he's going, but he ordered us home," Alan complained.

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Look, orders are orders. There's no sense in arguing about them. As much as I love John, I'm glad for the chance to first get a hug and kiss from my daughter and then a good couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. I'm sure he'll let us go later."

Alan slumped into his seat. "You're right. I'm sorry. I guess I was acting like a child. I still tend to get jumpy when one of us gets hurt."

Virgil and Gordon knew that he was talking about the incident three years ago that almost tore the family apart and almost lead to Alan's death.

"Don't worry about it," Virgil said. "You're not the only one who wants to rush over and see John. I'm just too tired to argue about it right now."

The three brothers fell silent. Gordon even dozed lightly on the flight home. In the quiet of the flight, Scott couldn't help but wonder what kind of reception waited for him at home. He would soon find out.

Author's Note - Well, we're winding the story up here. There's only one more chapter left. What will Scott find when he gets home? You'll find out next week.

Thanks for reading and to our reviewers. We appreciate you all.


	20. The Answer

Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 20 – The Answer

Sharon had fallen asleep on the couch in the lounge. Neil was curled up next to her also asleep, with his head in her lap. Jeff walked in and smiled. He couldn't believe how easily Neil had seemed to have bonded with Sharon. He also knew that Sharon was afraid of the dangers of International Rescue. He hoped that she could overcome those fears not just for her's and Scott's sake, but for Neil's too.

Jeff squatted down in front of them. He gently shook his grandson's shoulder. "Hey, Neil, wake up buddy."

Neil rubbed his eyes as he sat up. "Grandpa?"

Sharon also startled awake when Neil moved. She gave Jeff a hopeful look.

"I have some news. Your Dad has been found."

Neil smiled widely. "He's okay? Is he coming home yet?"

Jeff sat on the couch and pulled Neil into his lap. "I don't want you to worry, but your Dad was hurt. Uncle Virgil took him to the hospital. I've talked to the doctor. He told me that your Dad was already in surgery to fix him. He said things are looking good and there shouldn't be any problems. He even figured that he'll be out of surgery by the time we get there."

"I get to go with you?"

Jeff ruffled his hair. "Of course, you do. Now, run and get your overnight bag that your Dad had packed."

After Neil ran off, Sharon looked at Jeff. "Where did they find him? What's wrong with him? And is he really going to be okay?"

"I wouldn't have told Neil that his Dad was going to be okay if I didn't think it was the truth. He was found in a bank vault. He has a couple of broken ribs and one punctured his lung. The resulting bleed caused the lung to eventually collapse."

"That's not good. How long was he without medical intervention?"

"Luckily, when Gordon found him, he had a surgical intern with him who got a chest tube in and re-inflated the lung in pretty short order. The doctor at the hospital said that it was just a small tear that should be easily repairable. The biggest concern is going to be post-operative complications. They're going to keep a close eye on that."

"You said that Gordon found him. Do they other boys know he's been found? His condition?"

Jeff nodded. "Virgil flew him to the hospital. Scott is closing down the rescue scene. They're done and going to be heading home shortly."

"They're not going to the hospital? That surprises me."

"They would've, but I ordered them home. This was a tough rescue both physically and emotionally on top of the other rescue shortly before it. They need rest."

"I bet that went over well."

"I'm sure it didn't, but as the head of International Rescue, I'm responsible for the well being of the entire team. That's what I'm doing. They'll understand eventually."

Neil came running back into the lounge, carrying a small duffle bag. "I got it."

"All right, let's go." Jeff looked at Sharon. "I'll keep you and the boys updated on John's condition. Are you going to be here when we get back?"

Sharon gave a small nod. "Yeah, I'll be here."

Jeff smiled, hoping that meant good things for the family. "Good to hear it." He placed a hand on Neil's shoulder and guided him out of the room.

Sharon curled up on the couch again to wait for Scott to return. She ended up dozing off. The next thing she knew, Scott was shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes to look into his confused face.

"Hey there, sleepyhead, wouldn't your bed be more comfortable?"

Sharon sat up and stretched her neck to work out a few kinks. "I wanted to talk to you as soon as you got back."

Scott's expression turned to one of concern. "Is everything all right? Did John get worse?"

"No, I haven't heard anything from your dad since he left. This is about us. Is there somewhere we can go to talk privately?"

"We can talk here. The other guys won't be back for a while yet."

Sharon shook her head. "No, how about we go to Kyrano's garden? It's peaceful out there, and I need that right now."

Scott was crestfallen. He knew where this discussion was going to go. She was going to break it off. He shouldn't be surprised. As soon as he heard that John was missing, he was afraid this was going to happen. He had clung, though, to the slim hope that once she saw how they handled the crisis, it would allay her fears.

Suddenly, he felt utterly exhausted. He rubbed his forehead. "Can we talk about this later? I'm really beat."

"I really want to say it now. I might get cold feet and change my mind."

"And that would be a bad thing?" Scott thought to himself, but instead of voicing it he took her hand. "Okay, let's go to the garden."

Once there, they moved to the bench where Sharon and Kyrano had their talk. "Please, sit down," she said. He did as she asked while still holding her hand. She sat down next to him and placed her other hand over his. "The first thing you need to know is how much I love you." Her eyes filled with tears and her voice choked up. She stood and pulled her hand out of Scott's hold. She took a few steps away.

"Sharon? What can I…"

She held up a hand to silence him. "Please, just let me talk. When you first told me about International Rescue, I was shocked and then angry. I felt it was very unfair of you to date me…to let me fall in love with you, even though you have a more dangerous job than Mike had."

"I never meant for that to happen. I wanted to…"

"I know you never meant it. Neither did I. When Mike died…well, I just never thought I could love someone again. Then you came along. Anyways, back to what I was saying. When John disappeared on the first rescue after your proposal, I felt it was fate's way of telling me to run for the hills."

"Oh, here it comes," Scott thought. He didn't say anything, but stared at his hands, letting her continue.

"But then I talked to Neil."

"But?" The word ran through Scott's head. "She said 'but'." A small flicker of hope reappeared in his mind. He shook himself mentally and forced himself back to what Sharon was saying.

"…he didn't realize what that meant to me. Most people would think I was nuts, talking to a five-year-old like that, but he really is more mature for his age."

"He sure is. John was like that growing up too. I found that very irritating at the time."

"Well, it got me thinking. Kat raised him as a single mother, but she had enough documentation about his father for the authorities. Neil was lucky that she had things set so they could find John. Otherwise, he would've ended up in the system. It got me thinking about my kids. There is no one to take care of them if something should happen to me."

Confused thoughts ran through Scott's mind. "Kids? Now where is she going?"

"But is that a good enough reason to marry? Just to have someone to care for my kids if I die? The answer to that is no. It's not fair to use someone like that."

The flicker of hope in Scott was suddenly snuffed out. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Sharon spun around to face Scott again. "No! That's not…I'm really not explaining this right. Okay, bare bones…the one and only reason to get married is if you love someone, and I do. I love you so much, Scott, and I want to be your wife. There's nothing I want more."

The shock was plainly visible on Scott's face. "But…but…what about my job? The dangers? What if I d…you lose me? You'd be widowed again. The kids…"

Sharon placed a finger on Scott's lips to shush him. "I've been thinking about that. There's no guarantee that you're going to die, or even get hurt. We could live a long and happy life together. But if I push you out of my life, we'd all feel the loss of you as if you had died. That's a certainty. I'd be kind of stupid to choose that certainty over just a probability, wouldn't you say?"

Scott stood and grabbed Sharon's hands. "Are you saying what I think you are saying?"

Sharon gave his hands a squeeze. "What I'm saying, Mr. Scott Carpenter Tracy, is if the offer is still good, I'm accepting your marriage proposal."

"Yes, oh God, yes." He picked her up and spun her around, happy tears filling his eyes. He set her down and kissed her soundly. Pulling back, he brushed her cheek. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"I think I do because I feel the same way." The two kissed again.

When they separated again, Scott said. "As much as I want to yell this from a mountaintop, maybe we should keep this our secret until I can talk to my Dad and we can talk to the kids."

Sharon pressed herself against Scott's chest. "Whatever you say, as long as we don't wait too long."

Scott couldn't help himself. He kissed her again and again, on her lips, on her cheeks, down her neck, back to her lips again.

She giggled and pushed him away. "Your Dad said you are to get some rest, so you'd better do it."

He gave her a cheeky grin. "You want to join me?"

She gave him a playful push. "I don't think we can keep it a secret if I do that. Besides, I need to get back to the kids."

"Okay, my soon-to-be wife, I'll see you in the morning."

"I love that."

"Love what? 'soon-to-be wife'?"

She gave him another quick kiss. "Not the 'soon-to-be', just the 'wife' part."

The two separated. Sharon went back to the guest quarters while Scott went to Thunderbird Two's hanger to wait for his brothers. He could barely keep the silly grin off his face while they did the clean-up.

TBTBTBTBTB

One week later, the Tracy family sat around the dining room table. Tin-Tin and Alan were leaving the next day to spend the rest of her pregnancy closer to her doctor. John had been released from the hospital the day before. Thankfully, there had been no post-operative complications. Grandma was also back from visiting her friends in the states.

Over the conversation and laughter around the table, Jeff cleared his throat. Once he had everyone's attention. He motioned to his eldest son. "Scott, here has an announcement to make."

Gordon smirked. "Like we can't guess."

"What, Poppy?" Christina asked.

Tin-Tin placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Poppy's joking. We don't need to guess. Uncle Scott is going to tell us."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Okay, so this might just be a formality," He picked up Sharon's hand. "One week ago, this wonderful, beautiful, caring woman agreed to be my wife."

"A week?" Gordon asked in amazement. "You kept quiet a whole week?"

Virgil laughed. "I guess that would explain why he's been in la-la land all week."

Scott's cheeks reddened. "I wasn't that bad."

"So, why did you keep it a secret all week?" Alan asked.

"We wanted to wait until the whole family was together." Scott then pulled out a small box. "Plus, I wanted this to get back from being sized at the jewelers." He opened it towards Sharon who gasped at the ring inside. It had a center diamond with five more diamonds surrounding it. "This was my mother's engagement ring, and now it's the one that I want to be yours."

"Oh my God," she whispered. "It must be worth a fortune." She looked at Jeff. "Are you sure you want to give it away?"

Jeff smiled. "That ring was built over the years. The original was only the center stone. After John's birth, I took it back and had a craftsman add a diamond for him and Scott. I did that after the births of the other three boys, even Alan's. I knew Lucy would've wanted it that way."

"That's what I mean. It's too precious in memories for me to take."

Scott gave his Dad a kind of "help me" look.

Jeff shook his head. "That ring was meant to be worn. Lucy would love the fact that it is worn by her son's wife. Please take it…for her."

A few tears escaped her eyes as she held out her hand for Scott to slip the ring on. "I'd be honored."

The End

Author's Note - We have finally reached the end of our story. We even gave John an easy recovery, (Bet you didn't see that coming.) and a favorable answer to Scott's proposal.

Now, unto all the "thank you"s that we need to put out. First, and most important is to our beta reader, Lillehafrue. This story would have never made it to the net if we didn't have your support. You helped us to iron out many parts and made this a better story for it. So, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. We love you for everything you've done.

We have appreciated all our readers who have followed us through our story. We hope you enjoyed how we wrapped it up.

We also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to send us reviews throughout the duration. There are some that have been so faithful that we want to give them a thank you by name: Criminally Charmed, Thunderbird 5, ThunderbirdMom, Darkflame's Pyre, JoTracy123, Tikatu, and Trillianaus. Your encouragement to us as we went along meant a lot to us.

Well, this is the end. Until next time. Hopefully, it won't be years.

Thanks, again.

GrumpyMagrat and Magratconvert


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